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Spotlight Stories

West Seattle Women’s Golf Club tees up an invitation
March 26, 2012 11:17 am
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | WS & Sports

The sun is trying mightily to get the upper hand on this morning’s clouds. Might just make you think about … golf. This morning, the West Seattle Women’s Golf Club is helping you daydream with its annual call for new members – Ruthi Winter shares the photo and the invitation to join them:

Women have been golfing with the West Seattle Women’s Golf Club (WSWGC) for decades and many lasting friendships have been formed over the years as a result of the camaraderie of golf. Several social events occur during the year, but the main objective of the WSWGC is to provide a friendly atmosphere in which to learn about golf, to play golf, and the chance for some fun competition.

Annual dues are $70.00 plus a $5.00 initiation fee for new members. Dues pay for your GHIN number and handicap, reserved tee-times on
Tuesdays and Saturdays, weekly competition fees, most WSWGC tournament fees and operating expenses, as well as providing a great opportunity to meet and play golf with other women golfers. Please join us for our Season Opening “Spring Kick Off” Social on
Sunday, April 29, at the West Seattle Golf Course. RSVP to Kay Whelan at mkwhelan@comcast.net – Here are some of (the other) events on our calendar:
May 22nd – Spring Field Day
June 19th – Field Day
July 24th – Tournament
Aug 13, 14 – Club Championship
Sept 18 – Fall Field Day

Interested in membership? Send inquiry to Ruthi Winter at ruthi.winter@gmail.com – Hope to see you at the West Seattle Golf Course!

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West Seattle Monday: Cooking; cards; closures; plus, a drill
March 26, 2012 9:04 am
|      1 COMMENT
 |   West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

(On the beach at Cove Park, by Karen/”old desolate” via WSB Flickr group pool)
From the remodeled WSB West Seattle Events calendar:

VIADUCT’S OPEN AGAIN: As noted earlier this morning, the weekend inspection/maintenance closure ended on schedule (half an hour early, to be precise). Remember that another weekend closure is coming up in early April, from Friday night 4/6 through Monday morning 4/9, so work can be done to reinforce the structure in advance of work on the 99 tunnel.

CLOSURES TONIGHT: As part of the ongoing Spokane Street Viaduct Widening Project, the 1st Avenue South offramp will be closed from the eastbound West Seattle Bridge, and the 1st/Spokane intersection will be closed too, both 9 pm tonight till 5 am Tuesday.

REMINDER, SOUTHWEST POOL IS CLOSED: Details in our Sunday story. The pool reopens April 16th, and will celebrate an official “grand opening” with special events on April 17th.

ELLIOTT BAY OPENS LAKE CITY LOCATION: 11 am today, 12537 Lake City Way NE, the West Seattle-founded company opens its third location (#2 is in Burien). Want a peek, even if you’re not going to be up that way any time soon? The West Seattle-headquartered Washington Beer Blog has a preview.

RESCUE DRILL THAT YOU MIGHT SEE FROM HERE: We mentioned it last week, and if everything’s still on schedule, today’s the day, noon’s the time, Blakely Rock off south Bainbridge is the place, and you just might see this all from West Seattle shores. Details in the listing page on our calendar.

WEST SEATTLE COOKING CLUB: This time around, the West Seattle Cooking Club meets at Big Al Brewing in White Center – with “pub food” as the theme. 4 pm.

FREE POKER & KARAOKE AT SKYLARK: Doubleheader on Monday nights – free poker at 6:30 pm, Karaoke with Kelli at 9 pm – more details are linked from the Skylark Café and Club events calendar (3803 Delridge Way SW).

FLAT EARTH SOCIETY AT WEST 5: It’s a Monday night tradition at West 5 in The Junction, with guest DJs “spinning the rarest and fairest vinyl from deep within their respective LP collections.” Tonight at 9, it’s an all-jazz set by former KTUH disc jockey Dick Walker.

ONE WEEK TILL WEST SEATTLE COMMUNITY GARAGE SALE DAY REGISTRATION: It’s that one day of the year when West Seattle turns into Garage Sale Paradise. We didn’t invent it but this is our fifth year running it and we are excited as always – May 12th is sale day, sales around West Seattle big and small, depending on who decides to join in! Watch for more details here and at westseattlegaragesale.com as this week unfolds – registration starts next Monday, April 2nd (no exact time yet, gotta make sure all online systems are go).

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Alaskan Way Viaduct/99 open again
March 26, 2012 6:34 am
|      9 COMMENTS
 |   Alaskan Way Viaduct | West Seattle news

The weekend closure of the Visduct did end on schedule; the state says it reopened around 4:30 this morning.

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Followup: Closer look at old ‘orchard house’ on Puget Ridge
March 25, 2012 9:24 pm
|      14 COMMENTS
 |   Puget Ridge | West Seattle history | West Seattle housing | West Seattle news


(Click image for larger view)
Tonight, another look at an old Puget Ridge farmhouse that apparently sparked a fair amount of curiosity and imagination last weekend, after we published a photo Mike Gerber took during the St. Patrick’s Day snow showers. He sent three more photos this weekend and explained:

A surprising number of people asked for some additional information on the old house in the photo you ran last Saturday. Here’s a better angle of it. As for it being the oldest orchard house in Seattle, there’s very little in the historical record about this particular section of West Seattle and so it’s difficult to date it.

The area was covered in enormous old growth forest prior to the 1870’s, and the very valuable and spectacular trees were cut and turned into a hodgepodge of small farms and orchards and over the next 20 years. The construction is consistent with that era and it would seem logical that the trees growing closest to Elliott Bay would be the first to go.

I also met a wonderful and very credible old guy a number of years ago who had lived next to the orchard at one time. He said the house had been built in the 1880s, but that it had been vacant since the Depression.

During the construction of our home we came across four piles of very old lumber that turned out to be the collapsed remnants of small shacks, probably where orchard workers once lived. Under one of them we found two perfectly persevered ‘skat’ playing cards that were made in Germany in the early 1900s, where many of the workers came from.

Skat is considered the national game there and is played everywhere.

It would be interesting to know if any other readers have anything to add to the history of this relatively little-known area.

The location is described in the comment section following last weekend’s story.

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Reader reports: Scooter stolen; suspicious visitor at the door
March 25, 2012 8:43 pm
|      13 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | Door-to-door alert | West Seattle news

2 reports of note tonight – one definitely a crime, the second one, hard to tell:

SCOOTER STOLEN: Sonia reported this one on the WSB Facebook wall. She and her daughter were at Lincoln Park late today when someone made off with her daughter’s scooter: “It was a Barbie scooter. My daughter was playing on the logs and I was taking pictures of her. We were by the construction area (Colman Pool).” If you find one abandoned somewhere, contact police, and tell them you know whose it might be.

CENSUS WORKER? OR WOULD-BE BURGLAR? Tanya had a visitor at her door along Fauntleroy in the Morgan Junction area, asking about her neighbors:Read More

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West Seattle wildlife: Sick raccoon caught in Fauntleroy
March 25, 2012 4:19 pm
|      40 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | Wildlife

The reader report and photos are from Rebecca in the Fauntleroy Cove area:

Early this afternoon, I discovered a raccoon wandering around the property; it was daytime and I thought it strange that a raccoon would be out and about.

After watching him for a minute I realized he was either very sick or dying. Turns out he had distemper, which is highly contagious and can kill off an entire colony of raccoons, not to mention infect dogs and humans.

I called Seattle Animal Control and they were on the scene in about 20 minutes, quickly caught the little guy, and took him off in a cage. If he isn’t too badly infected, he will receive treatment; otherwise he’ll be euthanized.

We are fortunate to have a diverse population of wildlife in West Seattle and it’s important to keep an eye out for abnormalities that could be a threat to them, us or our pets.

Distemper signs to look for: Conjunctivitis in the eyes, mucous discharge covering the eyes. Wandering around in circles, disoriented, falling down, slower than normal movement. For more information check out Distemper in Raccoons. The number for Animal Control: 206-386-7387

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Happening now: ‘Hand Up for Mike’ with big-name auction items
March 25, 2012 2:18 pm
|      8 COMMENTS
 |   How to help | West Seattle news | West Seattle people

That’s the team you’ll find in the back room at Feedback Lounge (6451 California SW; WSB sponsor) till 4 pm today, with an amazing array of items for the “Hand Up for Mike” silent auction/party. (Mike’s the guy at front and center.) Till we saw the lineup for ourselves, we didn’t realize how many cool auction items they’d rounded up – here’s just a few things:

You might notice the Full Tilt logo. And there are gift certificates from Zippy’s Giant Burgers, Meander’s Kitchen, photos/merchandise from people whose work you’ve seen on WSB (Machel Spence, Jim Clark, and of course Christopher Boffoli and his now world-famous “Big Appetites”), and great stuff from folks you may not have met yet (but should!). The live dessert auction – emceed by Teri Ensley, who you might know from Furry Faces Foundation – promises to be a winner too, and that’s coming up at 3:05 pm:

If you don’t know Mike and haven’t read about him here before – in a nutshell – what happened to him is an all-too-common situation: A health crisis cost him his job, and his apartment, and suddenly he was homeless. After months at Nickelsville, he is now in transitional housing, and working hard to get a new start and get stability, with a new place to live, work, and more. This event is to get a little seed money for him … that “Hand Up.”

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Southwest Pool: Last chance to swim before 3-week closure
March 25, 2012 2:06 pm
|    Comments Off on Southwest Pool: Last chance to swim before 3-week closure
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle parks

After public swim at 4 pm and lap swim at 5 pm today, Southwest Pool (2801 SW Thistle) is closing for 3 weeks of maintenance. That reminder comes from assistant coordinator Matt Richardson:

During the closure there are several major projects. The first week, March 26-April 1, will be comprised of the gymnasium floor refinishing project. This requires the use of materials that put out a fair amount of volatile organic compounds. The Pool, Teen Life Center and EuropaKids will not be in operation during this week.

The last two weeks are the Pool’s regular preventive maintenance closure. The work includes draining and acid washing the plaster shell, replacement of some valve seals, filter repairs and other items that require the pool to be empty. It takes nearly two days to drain the pool , two to fill, and another two to heat the pool back up to its normal 85-degree operating temperature. The Pool reopens April 16th. To register for lessons during our closure, participants can contact any other Seattle Parks Pool or Community Center.

After the pool reopens, there are a couple big events –

-Our Grand Re-Opening (celebration is) on April 17th. The schedule of events is

11:30-12:30 Dedication and refreshments
12:00-1:30 Free Adult Swim
3:00-4:00 Free Public/Teen Swim

-April Pools Day on Saturday April 21st, 10:30 am to Noon. There will be water safety demonstrations and practice stations, free swimming, and prizes. Children under 18 must be accompanied into the water by an adult.

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West Seattle businesses: Fleurt moving to bigger new location
March 25, 2012 11:44 am
|      14 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

Sam Crowley, proprietor of Fleurt in The Junction, is excited today – and not just because it’s sunny and that will likely put even more people in the mood for flowers. She is excited because she’s moving to a bigger new location – the Junction storefront recently vacated by Knows Perfume:

“Due to the overwhelming support of the local community, we are excited to announce that starting mid-April, Fleurt will be moving to a bigger and better location. We are not going far; we are moving right next door to Menashe & Sons Jewelers, 4536 California Ave.

The larger space will allow us to expand our flower offerings and services, in addition to having more unique gifts and creative workshops. We thank everyone for your support, and we look forward to seeing you at our new location.

Besides drop-in service at her storefront as well as “unique gifts and home decor,” Sam notes that Fleurt “offers daily deliveries of flowers, as well as flowers for events and weddings.” She’ll have something else to celebrate next month besides the new storefront – April is also when Fleurt will celebrate its second anniversary in The Junction.

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West Seattle Sunday: Viaduct closure; ferry-schedule changes; ‘A Hand Up for Mike’; more
March 25, 2012 7:33 am
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

That’s the latest image from the camera watching the West Seattle Bridge eastbound. It was backed up much of Saturday during the first day of the Viaduct/Highway 99 closure, so it’s worth checking as the closure continues today; that’s one of the transportation notes topping our list of highlights from the WSB West Seattle Events calendar:

ALASKAN WAY VIADUCT/HIGHWAY 99 CLOSURE CONTINUES: The stretch of 99 between the Battery Street Tunnel and West Seattle Bridge is scheduled to remain closed until 5 am Monday. These closures sometimes end early; if this one does, we’ll publish an update here as well as on the WSB Facebook page and in the WSB Twitter feed.

STATE FERRIES SWITCH TO SPRING SCHEDULE: The new Washington State Ferries schedule takes effect today, and it includes the return of three-boat weekend service on the Fauntleroy/Vashon/Southworth route.

WEST SEATTLE GEAR SWAP, DAY 2: Winter gear of all types. Mountain to Sound Outfitters is presenting the swap/sale, with more details here. 11 am-3 pm at the VFW Hall, 3602 SW Alaska.

WEST SEATTLE FARMERS’ MARKET: Today and every Sunday, 10 am-2 pm, 44th/Alaska.

GIVE A DOG A HOME: Dog-adoption event today, 11 am-2 pm, at Mud Bay West Seattle (2611 California SW in the Admiral District). In partnership with Homeward Pet.

A HAND UP FOR MIKE: Friends of Mike, aka “miws” in the WSB Forums and site comments, are inviting you to a silent auction/benefit in his honor today, 1-4 pm, at Feedback Lounge (6451 California SW; WSB sponsor). Mike is climbing out of homelessness triggered by a health crisis that cost him his job and then his apartment; he’s in transitional housing and working toward permanent housing and stability (read more about him here), but “a hand up” from friends, neighbors, and community members can make a big difference. Full details in the event listing page from the WSB calendar. (Special request from organizers: “While there will be PayPal available for donations and auction payments, we’re asking for cash and checks to minimize the PayPal fees.”)

OPEN HOUSE: Unified Outreach invites you to an open house today at Ginomai Art Center in The Junction to find out about its free “industry-level cartoon and animation training using Adobe Flash.” 3-5 pm at 4401 42nd SW; meet volunteers and students, and enjoy snacks/beverages. Find out more about the program at UnifiedOutreach.com.

LIVE MUSIC: Mike Buchman at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor), 5612 California SW, 3-5 pm … Note that Skylark Café and Club has NO music tonight – it’s closing after brunch for repair work.

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West Seattle Crime Watch: Gunfire on Alki; suspect arrested
March 25, 2012 12:17 am
|      35 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | West Seattle news | West Seattle police

(Photos by Christopher Boffoli for WSB)
12:17 AM: Police have stopped what they believe to be a suspect in a case of gunfire reported on Alki a short time ago. No injuries reported at this point, but it is still an active investigation with at least two locations – where the gunfire happened, and where the suspect was stopped.

12:30 AM UPDATE: WSB contributor Christopher Boffoli is at the scene where police stopped the suspect in his car, which matched the description we’d heard via scanner, a Subaru with spoiler. They also reported recovering a .45-caliber handgun. Back in the 2800 block of Alki SW, they are looking for evidence of gunfire.

1:08 AM UPDATE: Police have published a short summary of this on SPD Blotter. One additional detail from their report: This involved two people in “an altercation” outside, not IN a bar. We heard scanner traffic regarding the reported target of the gunfire saying it happened in the alley behind Cactus; one officer reported finding a “live round” in the area.

In the SPD Blotter item, Gang Unit detectives are mentioned, and Christopher indeed said he saw them at the arrest scene, which was near Salty’s.

ADDED SUNDAY AFTERNOON: A few followup details from Southwest Precinct Lt. Alan Williams: The suspect is 26 years old and had been escorted out of an area bar before all this happened, following a “disturbance.” Lt. Williams also clarifies that while Gang Unit detectives were investigating, that unit “investigates incidents of this nature even if there is no indication that those involved are associated with gangs” – so don’t assume that just because the Gang Unit shows up, it’s definitely gang-related.

ADDED SUNDAY NIGHT: The SPD Blotter report also now includes these additional details, and one new one: The man who was shot at was 28 years old. We can’t confirm whether the 26-year-old suspect is still in jail, since at this point we don’t have his name, but we’ll look into that tomorrow.

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Video: Music for & by all ages, @ Big Band Dinner Dance
March 25, 2012 12:10 am
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Denny-Sealth | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

Our video features the Denny International Middle School Jazz Band, the first of three student groups directed by Marcus Pimpleton that performed Saturday night for the Big Band Dinner Dance; the two others were from adjacent Chief Sealth International High School – here’s the Jazz 1 group:

Last night’s benefit combined what had been the Denny Jazz Dinner and the Sealth Big Band Dinner Dance, in this first year of the two schools sharing a campus (they had already been sharing a “pathway“). The above photo and the next one are courtesy of Denny principal Jeff Clark, who also shared these words:

Congratulations to Denny and Sealth Jazz musicians on an outstanding night of music. The dance floor has filled as guests are dancing to the sweet sound of jazz. Thank you to our amazing volunteers, families, and staff for making this event possible. A special thank to the West Seattle Big Band for joining us!

The WSBB has long supported student music programs.

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War on waste: Junction park sets up ‘designated pet areas’
March 24, 2012 10:20 pm
|      23 COMMENTS
 |   Junction Plaza Park | Pets | West Seattle news | West Seattle parks

No doubt, the majority of dog owners are responsible and respectful of others. And then, there are the few who make things unpleasant for everybody else by not picking up after their pets. More than a few, in the case of Junction Plaza Park, the tiny oasis of public greenspace at Alaska/42nd, just steps from the heart of The Junction, which now has “designated pet areas” in graveled spots along the sidewalk, after its grassy central circle was so badly befouled, it was in danger of dying. It’s now marked with signs asking pet owners to NOT let their animals relieve themselves there:

We spotted the signs this past week, but had heard about the plan from Susan Melrose of the West Seattle Junction Association and Erica Karlovits of the Junction Neighborhood Association, both of whom worked hard to help make the park happen in the first place; Melrose brought the problem up at the Southwest District Council meeting back in February.

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2 weeks till West Seattle Community Centers’ new egg-hunt event
March 24, 2012 7:07 pm
|      6 COMMENTS
 |   Holidays | West Seattle news

With two weeks till Easter weekend, it’s time to make plans — so we’re reminding you about a big change this year for the West Seattle area’s city-run Community Centers, as first reported here last month. Instead of multiple egg hunts, they’re joining forces for one big event at Southwest Athletic Complex (2801 SW Thistle, just east of the former SW Community Center). It’s a festival-style event 11:30 am-3 pm on Saturday, April 7th, with egg hunts for all ages, plus bouncy toys, face-painting, games, and even a concert by Caspar Babypants. There’s an admission charge – $3/person if you buy a wristband in advance at your local community center, $5/person the day of the event. (This is one of the Easter-weekend events already on the newly remodeled WSB Events calendar, and we’re continuing to add more.)

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K-5 STEM at Boren: 200+ applications; new e-mail group
March 24, 2012 2:43 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

3 notes about the new West Seattle public elementary school K-5 STEM at Boren, opening this fall in the two-years-closed Boren building on Delridge:

ENROLLMENT: We’ve been asking Seattle Public Schools about an update from open-enrollment applications submitted for the new school, since it’s been a couple weeks now. They won’t give us an exact number – processing isn’t over yet – but here’s the reply forwarded by SPS spokesperson Teresa Wippel:

We are continuing to work with the data in processing Open Enrollment applications for schools around the district. Because this work has not been completed, we are not prepared to release data that is still in process. Assignment information will be available on April 16 for schools and families. However, since K-5 STEM at Boren is a new program, we are tracking that data in particular, and can report that applications have surpassed the 200 mark.

NEW ONLINE DISCUSSION GROUP: In case you missed this announcement in the WSB Forums or the comment section following an earlier story – Families who applied to – or are considering applying to – the new school have formed an online discussion group, open to anybody interested. It started briefly on Google and then moved to Yahoo! Find it at groups.yahoo.com/group/K5STEM – anyone can read the posts, but you have to join in order to participate. The group’s e-mail address is K5STEM@yahoogroups.com.

NEXT DESIGN TEAM MEETING: The school’s Design Team, discussing issues and making decisions to help shape it, has its second meeting at 6:15 pm Wednesday (March 28), at district HQ downtown. Here’s our report on the first one.

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West Seattle weekend scenes: Sailing in the Sound
March 24, 2012 12:06 pm
|      10 COMMENTS
 |   Seen at sea | West Seattle news

(UPDATED 3:33 PM with submarine photo)

12:06 PM: Sailboats on Puget Sound today! From Upper Alki, JayDee captures the wide view, and from sea level, Gary Jones takes a closer look. (Thanks to both for sharing the photos!)

We are having more trouble than usual confirming which yacht club this is – the U.S. Coast Guard “Notice to Mariners” says the Corinthian Yacht Club has its “Pulley Point” event today, but the CYC’s website labels its event for today as “Three Tree Point,” and there’s no other listed event on the USCG notice that would seem to include sailing past West Seattle shores. Any inside info appreciated!

ADDED 12:41 PM: And for more photos – nice Flickr set by Russ Walker.

1:13 PM UPDATE: Thanks to those who gently pointed out via e-mail and comments that Three Tree and Pulley are the same point! (Also pointed out on this website.) 21 years ’round here and we didn’t know that. Always glad to keep learning. Still doesn’t 100 percent confirm that this is the CYC, but the likelihood seems fairly high.

3:33 PM UPDATE: Look what else was seen off West Seattle shores today!

That photo also is courtesy of JayDee (thanks!).

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New monorail-system proposal: Century Transportation Company
March 24, 2012 9:54 am
|      77 COMMENTS
 |   Transportation | West Seattle news

On the half-century anniversary of the Seattle Monorail, more than five years after the end of the last attempt to expand the monorail along a route from Ballard to West Seattle, an activist says it’s time to try again. The announcement comes from Elizabeth Campbell, known for past campaigns including a push for a rebuilt Alaskan Way Viaduct. The news release (and a call for board members) is ahead:Read More

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West Seattle Saturday: Sales; open houses; music; more
March 24, 2012 9:22 am
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

(Friday afternoon photo, some of the skis awaiting today’s Gear Swap, see below)
First Saturday of spring! Highlights from the WSB West Seattle Events calendar:

TRAFFIC REMINDER – VIADUCT/99 CLOSED: From the Battery Street Tunnel to the West Seattle Bridge, inspection/maintenance closure is scheduled for the entire weekend. (We’ll let you know if it reopens before the announced time of 5 am Monday.)

HAPPENING NOW – DONATE FOOD! If Scouting For Food participants didn’t leave a note at your door asking you to leave food for them to pick up in today’s food drive, you can still pitch in – go to 44th/Ferry before 11 am and drop off a donation for the West Seattle Food Bank. Here’s our reminder from Friday. **Added** And there are also Scouts at West Seattle Thriftway (California/Fauntleroy/Morgan) till noon to accept donations.

SUPER SALE TO BENEFIT TEAM TRACY: 10 am-3 pm at Fauntleroy Church (9140 California SW), megasale to raise money to fight breast cancer. For photos/details of what’s on sale, check out the event page on Facebook.

PLANTING PARTY AT SANISLO WETLAND: 10 am-1 pm (meet in front of the school at 1812 SW Myrtle). Hundreds of trees need to get into the ground in this Puget Creek headwaters wetland. Details in our Friday preview.

FOREST RESTORATION AT WESTCREST PARK: 10 am-2 pm (9000 8th SW), join EarthCorps to help the park’s extensive forest. Full details on their website

WEST SEATTLE GEAR SWAP, DAY 1: Winter gear of all types on sale – and winter’s not really over yet anyway! Mountain to Sound Outfitters is presenting it, with more details here. 10 am-6 pm at the VFW Hall, 3602 SW Alaska.

SKATE ‘N’ BAKE: Skating party and bake sale at Southgate Roller Rink (9646 17th SW) to benefit Arbor Heights Co-Op Preschool, 10 am-12 pm. $7 tickets at the door – with $1 off if you bring a can of food for the White Center Food Bank!

EUROPAKIDS PRESCHOOL OPEN HOUSE: EuropaKids International Preschool, 10:30 am-noon at Southwest Teen Life Center (2801 SW Thistle, back entrance), which is their half-day location, but they’ll be talking about their new full-day location, opening this fall.

COMETA PLAYSCHOOL OPEN HOUSE AND FREE CONCERT: 11 am-1 pm at Cometa Playschool, 3212 California SW, with special guest singer/songwriter Felipe Cañete . Including more info about new toddler program.

TEA CEREMONY: Seattle Chinese Garden hosts “a rare demonstration of a Han style ancient Chinese tea ceremony from 1:30 to 2:30 pm. There will be time for questions after the ceremony. The suggested donation is $7 for the general public and $5 for garden members.” North end of South Seattle Community College campus, 6000 16th SW.

OCCUPY WEST SEATTLE: Meeting 2-5 pm at Highland Park Improvement Club (12th/Holden).

FAUNTLEROY CHILDREN’S CENTER 25TH ANNUAL AUCTION: Doors open at 5:30 pm tonight at The Hall at Fauntleroy (9131 California SW). Dinner at 7, live auction at 8. Bob Watt will once again serve as our auctioneer, with emcees former Mayor Greg Nickels and KING TV’s Jim Dever. Check if tickets are still available: (206) 932-9590.

CHIEF SEALTH BIG BAND DINNER/DANCE: 6-10 pm tonight at the school (2600 SW Thistle), a night of food, music, and dancing, featuring not only student musicians but also the West Seattle Big Band. Dance-only tickets are available too. Full details here. *Schedule update, added 12:35 pm – doors open at 5:30 pm, music starts 6:30 pm, dinner at 7 pm*

LIVE MUSIC AT C & P: 6-8 pm, Gary Benson. C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor) is at 5612 California SW.

‘WEST SEATTLE HAPPY HOUR’ AT ADMIRAL PUB: 2 weeks after Alki Crab and Fish closed at Seacrest, its owners are continuing to offer the menu faves at Admiral Pub (2306 California SW), and that’s where fans, many from the local diver community, are inviting you to come support them and mingle, 7-10 pm tonight. Full details on this event’s WSB calendar page.

‘RISE AND FALL OF LITTLE VOICE’: Second-to-last weekend for the comedy at ArtsWest Playhouse and Gallery in The Junction, curtain time 7:30 pm.

ROCK 4 CLEAN WATER: Benefit featuring live music from Fiasco, Bonobros, and Sue Quigley, presented by EcoBeauty Salon and Spa tonight at Feedback Lounge (6451 California SW; WSB sponsor), with prize drawings. Starts at 8 pm. $10 suggested donation.

LIVE MUSIC AT THE BRIDGE: Jenny sends word that True Romans plays at 9:30 pm, no cover. 35th SW just south of Avalon.

EVENT CANCELLATION: In case you had tickets but hadn’t heard, the WSHS father/daughter dance scheduled for tonight was canceled.

LOOKING AHEAD – 7 WEEKS TILL WEST SEATTLE COMMUNITY GARAGE SALE DAY: May 12th is the big day this year, and registration will open April 2nd – one week from Monday. Keep an eye out here and at westseattlegaragesale.com (which you can browse for details of past WSCGSDs, if the event is new to you!).

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Traffic alert: Highway 99/Alaskan Way Viaduct weekend closure
March 24, 2012 6:00 am
|      12 COMMENTS
 |   Alaskan Way Viaduct | Transportation | West Seattle traffic alerts

(Newest traffic-cam image of traffic-less Viaduct)
If all is going according to WSDOT‘s schedule, the (remaining) Alaskan Way Viaduct, and Highway 99 from there to the West Seattle Bridge, is closing about now, and is scheduled to stay closed until Monday morning. This is the twice-yearly inspection closure, and some maintenance work is being done too. (Then it’ll close again the weekend after next, Friday night 4/6 through Monday morning 4/9.)

1:28 PM UPDATE: Anne from Ventana Construction (WSB sponsor) shares this photo showing bridge traffic a little while ago:

Meantime, a commenter asks about the reason for the early April closure – as explained by WSDOT here, it’s for reinforcement work in advance of tunnel-boring.

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Beach Drive murder: Greggette Guy’s family sets up fund
March 23, 2012 9:41 pm
|      17 COMMENTS
 |   Beach Drive murder | Crime | West Seattle news

We’re hearing tonight from the family of 51-year-old Greggette Guy for the first time since her father’s unexpected appearance at last Sunday’s vigil in her memory.

On the eve of her memorial service, her brother-in-law Dennis Guy has reached out on behalf of her family. His message:

There seems to be a lot of interest for helping Greggette Guy’s family and we would like to respond. We established a fund for the purpose of providing financial funds for the following purposes:

(1) increasing the amount of reward money for information leading to the arrest and prosecution of the suspect(s) responsible for the murder of Greggette Guy

(2) and/or assisting the city in installing additional lighting and/or memorial bench along the area where the crime took place

We are thankful to the West Seattle Blog for providing information to the community and are sorry that we were not able to provide information due to personal and investigative reasons. We echo the thoughts of some of the (commenters) that speculation, especially insensitive ones, should be kept to oneself as they can be especially hurtful at a time such as this. Greggette Guy had lived in the West Seattle area for a few years when she was younger and enjoyed the serenity and the waves of the Alki Beach area.

We are thankful to the media for respecting the family’s privacy in this time of need as a result of this tragic event.

The link for more information about who Greggette Guy really is:and how to make contributions:
http://www.edlineyahncovingtonfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/Edline1/obit.cgi?user=595115Guy

Sincerely,
Dennis Guy

The page at that link includes Ms. Guy’s full obituary, with much more about her life than we have heard before, as well as information on where/how to donate to the fund. Meantime – police have not commented publicly on the case since Southwest Precinct commander Captain Steve Paulsen spoke at last Tuesday’s West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting (video of everything he said is in our report from that night). If you have any information that might be related to the case, call 911 or the Seattle Police Homicide Tip Line, 206-233-5000 (police say anonymous tips are welcome). Our coverage of stories about Ms. Guy’s murder, dating back to the discovery of her body the morning of March 12th, is archived here, newest to oldest.

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West Seattle schools: World Water Week wraps up at Sealth
March 23, 2012 9:11 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Denny-Sealth | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

So far in the two years that Chief Sealth International High School has observed World Water Week with special events, it’s become a tradition – Friday sunshine! On the track at Southwest Athletic Complex across the street, where students walked with heavy containers of water on WWW Friday last year, today the task was a Food Walk, visiting various student-created stations to learn about food and water issues from around the world.

Special activities were the order of the day for all Sealth students, including a multitude of indoor activities (such as workshops with guest speakers), and also gardening outside adjoining Denny International Middle School:

The garden’s namesake was a Denny principal who died 20 years ago during the school year and had a garden named after her at the school’s old site – now, there’s one at the new site.

A KING 5 crew was there to help document the action:

We promised to come back later this spring to see the garden after it’s planted and growing!

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Tomorrow: Have your donations ready for Scouting For Food!
March 23, 2012 7:01 pm
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   How to help | West Seattle news

(Pack 793 photo courtesy Jon Gerhardt)
Reminder that if you got a food-drive door-hanger from local Boy Scouts last Saturday – have your donation outside your door for them to pick up tomorrow morning, as part of Scouting For Food! Multiple local troops/packs are participating. But even if you didn’t get a notice, you can contribute to the drive for the West Seattle Food Bank – tomorrow morning (updated) from 9 till 11 am, bring food donations to Pack 793’s collection spot at 44th SW/Ferry SW (the city-owned triangle of grass just south of Admiral Church – here’s a map).

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West Seattle businesses: Cycle U sets opening date for new location
March 23, 2012 6:02 pm
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

Cycle University has just announced the opening date for its new location at 3418 Harbor Avenue, where it’s moving because Highline Medical is taking over its Triangle spot (as reported here last August). They expect to open the new, bigger location on April 3rd – read the full announcement ahead:Read More

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