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Spotlight Stories

3 fun(draisers) ahead: Jubilee Days, WestSide Baby, West Seattle 5K
May 3, 2012 9:51 pm
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   How to help | West Seattle news | White Center

Before we all go summer-crazed in another month or so, there are multiple chances to have fun while fun(draising). Three quick reminders tonight:

WHITE CENTER JUBILEE DAYS GALA AND AUCTION: The folks working hard to make this year’s WC Jubilee Days the liveliest ever are coming to West Seattle on Saturday night to celebrate and round up some $ toward their cause. Small plates, cash bar, music, and bidding! You are invited – 6:30 pm May 5th at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center; you can buy tickets online here.

WESTSIDE BABY BENEFIT – THE ‘SHAKE, RATTLE, AND ROLL’ COCKTAIL PARTY: Just two weeks till The Hall at Fauntleroy rocks for WestSide Baby, 7 pm May 18th – Feedback Lounge (WSB sponsor) sends award-winning cocktail creator Matt Johnson to do the drinks, The Mountain’s Marty Riemer is emcee, Tuxedos and Tennis Shoes Catering provides the appetizers, Not Dead Yet plays the music, and the auction items include a Walla Walla wine getaway and a Palm Desert spring break getaway. You have to buy tickets in advance – click TICKETS near the top of this page.

LAST CHANCE FOR WEST SEATTLE 5K EARLYBIRD DISCOUNT: Tonight’s your last chance to save $5 on signing up for the 4th annual West Seattle 5K, which is just two weeks away – Sunday, May 20th, along Alki, the kickoff to “car-free” Seattle Summer Streets as usual. The walk/run is a benefit for the West Seattle High School PTSA (and again this year, WSB is among the co-sponsors). Register online here.

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Transportation questions dominate mayor’s West Seattle Town Hall
May 3, 2012 6:13 pm
|      20 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle politics

Mayor McGinn has just wrapped up a two-hour visit to West Seattle, starting with a walking tour that began at Mountain to Sound Outfitters in The Triangle…

… and then moving on to an hour-long Town Hall Q/A session at the Senior Center of West Seattle. We’ll be adding more photos, but first, here’s our as-it-happened highlights from the Q and A:

QUESTION: Dick Hurley said he’s lived in West Seattle more than 30 years and sees lots of transportation expenditures “while my alley has fallen apart – it’s so bad that cars will bottom out, just in my alley.” He wondered why Local Improvement Districts to fix things like that are no longer available.

MAYOR: “It’s news to me … I’ve always thought we should make it easier to form those, because if people want to tax themselves, we should make it easier to form one.” He talked about his history in the Greenwood neighborhood and getting sidewalks put in to alleviate pedestrian challenges. He went on to acknowledge that the city has been neglecting road problems, though he is “blowing away pothole records set by previous administrations” – though he would just as soon not have the potholes there in need of filling. And he wishes he could find more funding for street and right-of-way improvements/repairs: “That’s what makes this special down here, how it feels on the street.”

QUESTION: From Sam with Standup America: “I spoke to you at another town hall last week about the salary gap” – he meant the mayor’s salary: “You’re talking about money you can’t get for roadways, but you’re giving yourself an annual increase … Why do you think it’s right that your income continually grows while (others’ income doesn’t)?” An audience member asks where Sam lives; “Capitol Hill” he replies.

Much more ahead, including news of a major paving project for Delridge Way:Read More

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Update: Final defendant in Steve Bushaw murder pleads guilty to manslaughter
May 3, 2012 4:34 pm
|      8 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | West Seattle news

The last defendant in the case of the February 2009 murder of lifelong West Seattleite Steve Bushaw (right) will NOT be going to trial after all – he pleaded guilty today. A status hearing was scheduled for Brandon Chaney, the only one of four original defendants who had not either pleaded guilty or been convicted (a jury deadlocked on his fate during the double trial last summer that resulted in Bryce Huber‘s conviction). We just checked on the court files, and there’s a document filed that says:

This cause comes before the Court for change of plea.

State’s motion to amend information to Count I, Manslaughter in the 2nd Degree with Firearm, and Count II, Felony Rendering Criminal Assistance in the 1st Degree.

Motion is granted.

The Court signs Order Permitting Filing of Amended Information. The Second Amended Information is filed.

Defendant is arraigned on Second Amended Information, and enters a plea of guilty. The Court inquires of Defendant, and accepts the plea. Statement of Defendant on Plea of Guilty is executed. Sentencing date is set for May 10, 2012 at 8:45 a.m.

Chaney was described as the getaway driver; he was tried last summer along with Huber, who was described as the person who planned the murder. The two men who shot at Bushaw in The Junction the night he was killed, John Sylve and Danny O’Neal, both pleaded guilty to murder. More to come.

10:26 PM NOTE: No further documents in the case have been available tonight, but we’re hoping to get them tomorrow, to find out more about the recommended sentence, for starters. (Huber was sentenced to 31 years; O’Neal, to 15 years; Sylve, to 20 years.) We’ll publish a separate followup when we know more.

ADDED FRIDAY MORNING: King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office spokesperson Dan Donohoe tells WSB they’re asking for a 70-month sentence for Chaney – that’s five years and 10 months. KCPAO also provided a court document that was not available online when we published our first report last night – it includes Chaney’s statement that “I caused the death of Steve Bushaw, by criminal negligence, I was failing to be aware of the substantial risk that death may occur because of the others’ actions and words. They were armed with pistols … Also I prevented/hindered/delayed the discovery and/or apprehension of the others – whom I knew had committed murder … by transporting them and concealing weapons.”

According to court documents, Chaney was present during the home-invasion robbery two weeks before the murder that was central to the murder motive. The victim sold marijuana, in addition to working as a longshoreman, and the home-invasion robbery happened at the home of his supplier. The robbers were said to have been on the phone with someone during the robbery, and the robbery victim believed it was Bushaw, and that he had orchestrated the home-invasion robbery. However, he was never arrested or charged, and as the case unfolded – the arrests came 10 months after the murder – police said Bushaw had not even been a suspect.

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West Seattle fire followup: Neighborhood benefit for victims
May 3, 2012 4:28 pm
|      12 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle fires | West Seattle news

(Tuesday photo by Christopher Boffoli for WSB)
Just in from Lisa, via WSB comments following our coverage of the Tuesday night fire on 20th SW:

Hi everyone, just want to get the word out that as neighbors and friends of the family, we are having a fundraiser hot dog & lemonade sale for the family this Saturday. Our front lawn at 8442 20th Ave SW, just three doors down. My husband will be grilling hot dogs from noon-5 pm for a minimum donation of $2 and my daughter will be selling lemonade for donations. We have been in contact with the granddaughter and we will be giving all monies to her to give to Martha and her son. Martha was always very involved in the community and we hope that same community will come by and show their support.

Lisa says Martha’s community involvement included being a longtime member of Highland Park Improvement Club: “We know she lost everything, so hopefully with the money we make she can go out and get some basic necessities. More than anything we want to show our support as neighbors and give back to a very wonderful person who has given so much to her community.”

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West Seattle traffic alerts: Next all-weekend Viaduct closure, and more
May 3, 2012 3:33 pm
|      15 COMMENTS
 |   Alaskan Way Viaduct | West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

Thursday afternoon is when WSDOT and SDOT usually send out the next round of major closure alerts – and here are the biggies for our area for the next few weeks, highlighted by an all-weekend Alaskan Way Viaduct closure in two weeks:

– May 7-10, the westbound lanes of the Spokane Street Viaduct will be closed nightly at SR 99. All westbound traffic will exit at Harbor Island and be detoured via the lower Spokane St roadway/low bridge to West Seattle. The southbound SR 99 ramp to West Seattle will remain open. [This starts at 9 pm each night.]

– Beginning May 9 at 7 PM, expect changes on the Alaskan Way waterfront overnight. Traffic will be moved off of Alaskan Way and will be relocated underneath the Alaskan Way Viaduct between S King St and Madison St. On the night of May 9th, S Washington St, Yesler Way, Columbia St and Madison St will be closed. Officers will be on-hand Thursday morning to assist traffic with the new road network and traffic patterns.

– May 18-21, the Alaskan Way Viaduct (SR 99) will be closed between Denny Way and S Spokane St in both directions Friday night through Monday morning. All on- and off-ramps will also be closed.

The May 9 mention is the one that goes with the ferry-terminal-reroute video we’ve been featuring here – the big change will kick in the morning of May 10th. Other areas of the city have various smaller closures too, and you can see the complete grid for what’s in the works by going here.

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Amber Alert out for 2 girls missing from Shoreline
May 3, 2012 2:50 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Not WS but we're mentioning it anyway

Just in case you haven’t seen this on regional news outlets: An Amber Alert is out for two little girls and their mother missing from Shoreline; the mother is suspected of stabbing their father, who is at a hospital in critical condition. An associated vehicle has already been found, but not the girls nor the suspect – our friends at KING5.com have the latest, including a photo of one girl. Here’s the webpage for the alert itself (but again, the vehicle’s been found).

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Video: West Seattle kids’ Hop-a-Thon to fight muscle disease
May 3, 2012 12:48 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   How to help | West Seattle news

It’s never too soon to teach kids a great “habit” – helping others. That’s the lesson Jena‘s students are learning at Tiny Tribe Preschool, which brought wee ones to Junction Plaza Park this morning for a Hop-A-Thon, an activity the Muscular Dystrophy Association is encouraging not only as a fundraiser, but also to teach kids about disabilities – “awareness, acceptance, assistance.” Tiny Tribe has already raised $600; we video’d the kids hopping in the chilly rain for two heartwarming minutes:

You can donate online to help the Tiny Tribe kids reach their goal – just go here.

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West Seattle wildlife: Mystery of ‘sea lion with a number’ solved
May 3, 2012 11:55 am
|      5 COMMENTS
 |   Seen at sea | West Seattle news | Wildlife

A week and a half ago, we published that photo taken by Tom Foley while out on the Duwamish River. We thought it was a Steller sea lion; turns out it’s a California sea lion – and known to researchers. LG saw Tom’s photo here and sent the information to NOAA, which she says “got excited about it, and e-mails were quickly sent around between people at NOAA and the Alaska Fish and Game Department’s Steller Sea Lion program trying to identify the animal. Apparently Alaska Fish and Game has an extensive photo database specifically for identifying branded sea lions.” She then received e-mail from NOAA’s Sharon Melin, who told her it was OK for us to publish the e-mail, which follows:

Thank you for reporting the sighting of the California sea lion #8727. He was branded as a 4 month old pup in September 2006 at San Miguel Island, California. At the time, he weighed 23.0 kg and was large for his age. He has been seen regularly in Washington during the winters and at San Miguel Island during the summer breeding season but still is too young and small to be breeding.

San Miguel Island is the northern limit of the California sea lion breeding range and is the westernmost island in the Channel Islands chain off the coast of California. Each year, a population of about 100,000 California sea lions returns to the island to breed and pup. Pups are born in late May and June and are usually weaned in March or April of the following year. Each year we tag and brand 500 pups out of about 23,000 born and conduct long-term observation studies throughout the lives of tagged individuals.

The tagging program for seals and sea lions on San Miguel Island was initiated in 1975. We have had tag recoveries from as far south as Pta Colnette (Punta Colonet), Mexico and as far north as Southeast Alaska. The tagging program provides information for long-term studies on migration, movements, survival, reproductive success, and annual cycles of individual animals. Studies such as these help us to effectively monitor marine mammal populations.

Tag returns are an extremely important part of our studies and they provide valuable information required to understand the biology and status of marine mammal populations. Thank you for taking time to participate in our research effort.

Here’s a map showing San Miguel Island, which is off Santa Barbara, California – more than 1,000 miles away!

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West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day countdown: 9 days
May 3, 2012 11:30 am
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   Community Garage Sale Day | West Seattle news

Nine days till West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day 2012, with 250 sales of all sizes all over the peninsula, north to south, east to west! The image at left is just **part** of the online version of the map (don’t draw any conclusions – it’s a work in progress!), which along with the printable version is now in the final stages of production, so we can keep our annual promise of making the map available one week in advance … among other reasons, so that sellers know their numbers and can promote their sales, and so shoppers can plan their routes and preview the listings. Not only will you find classic garage-sale highlights, you will also find sellers offering hot dogs, lemonade, bake sales, and other surprises. The clickable online map (from which the screengrab at left is taken) will likely be available slightly sooner than the printable map this Saturday, so check here, and/or the official WSCGSD website, the WSCGSD Facebook page – where sellers are welcome to post photos and other sale notes in the days before the sale, if interested! – and the WSB Facebook page. So don’t forget – tell your friends; non-West Seattleites welcome to come shop too! – 9 am-3 pm Saturday, May 12th, meet neighbors and new friends as you engage in the timeless tradition of person-to-person recycling, Alki to the Arroyos, Pigeon Point to Greenbridge, and beyond.

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West Seattle schools: K-5 STEM at Boren ‘weeding party’
May 3, 2012 10:39 am
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

The home of West Seattle’s newest public school needs a little TLC, and a community-organized cleanup is set for this Saturday. The invitation:

Join us this Saturday, May 5 from 1-5 for the first K-5 STEM at Boren WEEDING PARTY!

Community members, STEM families, students, friends – come play in the dirt and meet other families coming to STEM!

SPS grounds crew will be there with supplies to support weeding out the planters facing the parking lot and facing Delridge. Feelfree to bring your own tools, gloves, water, sunscreen & snacks.

This event will be cancelled in event of rain.

The Boren building is in the 5900 block of Delridge Way SW.

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West Seattle Thursday: Roxhill meeting; mayor returns; Style ’12
May 3, 2012 8:44 am
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

West Seattle-based Captive Eye Media produced that short promotional video for one of tonight’s big events, cancer-fighting fashion show “Style ’12” – part of our highlights from the WSB West Seattle Events Calendar:

STYLE ’12: West Seattleite-led Northwest Hope and Healing‘s annual fashion show to raise money to help breast-cancer patients. West Seattle businesses participating too! Survivors take to the runway to model spring fashion – and you’ll hear inspiring stories, too, including that of keynote speaker, West Seattle three-time survivor Tracy Dart. Tickets available at the door – more info on the NWHH site. It’s at 7 pm at Showbox SODO (1700 1st Avenue S.).

Also today/tonight:

HOPPING TO FIGHT M.D.: The kids from Tiny Tribe Preschool plan a hop-a-thon at Junction Plaza Park this morning around 10:30 “to raise money and awareness about muscular dystrophy.”

MAYOR’S TOWN HALL: For the second time in less than two months, Mayor Mike McGinn is holding a Town Hall in West Seattle. This time, it’s at the Senior Center of West Seattle (California/Oregon), 5-6 pm; here’s our original preview.

ALKI ELEMENTARY ART SHOWCASE: You’re invited to Alki Elementary tonight, 6-8 pm (3010 59th SW) – our calendar-listing page has details on what you’ll see.

ROXHILL ELEMENTARY MEETING ABOUT BEX-IV: It’s at Roxhill Elementary, but the entire community’s invited to come talk about West Seattle’s priorities for the BEX-IV Seattle Public Schools levy – which so far has included a potential proposal to close Roxhill and “merge” it into Arbor Heights Elementary, among other proposals. West Seattle’s school-board rep Marty McLaren will be there, among others. 6:30-8 pm, 30th/Roxbury; details here.

NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER: The annual observance by Alki’s Statue of Liberty Plaza is planned for 6:30-8 pm; details on the calendar-listing page.

JOE CROOKSTON IN CONCERT: Tonight at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center (4408 Delridge Way SW), 7:30 pm.

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Project updates from Viaduct/South Portal Working Group meeting
May 2, 2012 11:52 pm
|      9 COMMENTS
 |   Alaskan Way Viaduct | Transportation | West Seattle news

Every few months, WSDOT convenes the “stakeholders” known as the South Portal Working Group to get a briefing on what’s up with the south end of the Highway 99/Viaduct/Tunnel project and everything that ties into it. They got together again late today at the usual meeting spot, Sound Transit‘s board room at King Street Station. Ahead, toplines of potential West Seattle interest:

SPOKANE STREET VIADUCT WIDENING PROJECT:

*Approaching 90 percent completion, says SDOT project manager Stuart Goldsmith. The project is now expected to be done in “early September.” The new westbound 1st Avenue South ramp won’t fully open till then.

*May 22nd is the date expected for reopening the 4th Avenue eastbound exit, and then closing the 1st Avenue South eastbound ramp for another 6 to 8 weeks.

*Exit confusion where the bridge meets 99 (and truckers going rogue): They’re still working on signage – covering the ones that point them to the Spokane St. Viaduct for I-5.

NEW HIGHWAY 99 BRIDGE (ELEVATED STRUCTURE) WHERE THE VIADUCT USED TO BE:

*WSDOT’s Matt Preedy says the first set of girders for the northbound bridge was set last night – right now both directions are running on the semi-recently-completed bridge that will eventually carry southbound traffic. They have met the milestone of “100 percent up out of the ground,” said Preedy, and are on track to complete the bridge and shift traffic onto it by fall of this year – earlier than what they thought last year.

SOUTH ATLANTIC STREET OVERCROSSING FOR 99

*Bids will be opened later this month; this overpass bridge is to be complete by end of next year. How will bicycles get along? Preedy was asked. The path back to West Seattle will be “detoured a little further to the west” during construction.

EAST MARGINAL WAY SOUTH REBUILD

*On track for completion by June.

AIRPORT WAY SOUTH BRIDGE

*Still expected to reopen by the end of the year.

HOW WOULD SODO BASKETBALL/HOCKEY ARENA AFFECT TRAFFIC?

*One group member pointed out that the possibility completely tousles what’s been under discussion here for a very long time – 4 extra “events” a week – and wondered if it had been adequately discussed among transportation managers.

*The arena came up, by the way, in a new “what’s on your mind?” section of the meeting. Some members including West Seattle’s Pete Spalding had suggested the group’s meetings needed more time to listen to actual concerns regarding the south end traffic situation, and less on presentations that might or might not directly affect them.

ALASKAN WAY – NOW, FUTURE

*Wednesday or Thursday of next week, the detour announced last week – with the demonsration video repeated above – will take effect, and will be in effect until at least early 2014, “possibly longer, depending on the city’s seawall-replacement schedule,” Preedy says. Traffic will be under the Viaduct all the way to Madison. If continuing north, you veer over, and by Spring Street, you’re back in the current Alaskan Way lans. Through traffic will be southbound one lane; northbound, part two, part one. They will implement “bumper to bumper” ferry queueing on the dock, which means 100 more cars, with the help of an on-dock supervisor. There’s 100 extra potential spaces using some street/curb space.

*East/west, they will feed people directly off the dock with more options including going straight through and accessing 2nd Avenue Extension. The bike path will be on the east side of the viaduct path from Jackson to Yesler, but north of that, the bike path will cross the detoured Yesler then cross again at Madison. West Seattle group member Vlad Oustimovitch worried that would be creating a lot of “bicycle/vehicle conflicts” in the short run. He called the detour-and-detour again plan “convoluted.” WSDOT says they’re most concerned about safety. The sidewalk on the west side of Alaskan Way will remain open, but it’s not wide enough to be the primary route.

ALASKAN WAY WIDENED FOR STREET PARKING

*About 66 on-street metered parking spots are being created between Spring and Pike along Alaskan Way. That’s about a third of the 200 lost under The Viaduct.

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High-school sports: And now Sealth has two division champions
May 2, 2012 9:32 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle schools | WS & Sports

Chief Sealth International High School‘s spring-sports program now has two division champions!

SOCCER DIVISION CHAMPS: Tonight, the boys-varsity team clinched the Metro Sound Division title:

They shut out Nathan Hale 1-0 – with Kristian Nilssen on goal – at Southwest Athletic Complex tonight. (Stats here, from our partners at the Seattle Times.)

It was also seniors’ night; the graduating players were scheduled to be honored at game’s end – before the game, we caught up with students and parents who were putting together the postgame celebration (food, balloons, etc.):

From left, Noele, Tasha, Ryan, Claire, and “Coach Mom” Rosario.

SOFTBALL DIVISION CHAMPS: Even before tonight’s soccer victory, Sealth already had a division winner. Athletic director Sam Reed reports that the girls-varsity softball team concluded its regular season Monday by defeating Roosevelt, ending with a 15-5 record, the Sound Division title, and a look ahead to the playoffs starting next week.

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Happening now: GiveBIG final hours; ‘Dine Out for Hunger’
May 2, 2012 6:41 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   How to help | West Seattle news | White Center

GiveBIG TILL MIDNIGHT: If you’ve donated already, you’re part of a big philanthropic outpouring. Here’s the tally as of around 5 pm:

If you haven’t given yet, you still have time. This one-day donate-a-thon with participating organizations having a potential chance at some matching funds through the Seattle Foundation goes till midnight. You have to donate through a link on their site, but the money all goes to the nonprofit – we made a list early this morning of the West Seattle, White Center, and South Park participants, with their special donation links – see (and use) the list here. Speaking of WC:

‘DINE OUT FOR HUNGER’: In connection with this big day/night of giving, Proletariat Pizza and Zippy’s Giant Burgers are giving a share of tonight’s dinner proceeds to the White Center Food Bank. We found WCFB executive director Rick Jump at Zippy’s:

His organization went all-out today; Jump and others were at WC coffee shops 7 am-10 am to facilitate donations via laptops. By the way, Proletariat Pizza and Zippy’s are members of the new WSB sponsor we just welcomed this afternoon – the Rat City Business Association (meet the RCBA businesses here).

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Seattle Public Schools start times back in play – board meets tonight
May 2, 2012 2:41 pm
|      41 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

Thanks to those who have flagged us to this today via e-mail and phone, and it’s also under discussion at Seattle Schools Community Forum, with the exhortation, “Now is the time to pay attention”: Tonight’s Seattle School Board meeting includes the first look at a “Revision to Transportation Standards.” That means changing the scheduling of school buses, which in turn means changing the scheduling for schools’ start and end times.

You might recall, this all came up just last year – when another round of transportation changes and ensuing bell-time changes meant that some schools were starting as late as the 9:30 am vicinity; Sanislo Elementary, in particular, tried to fight it (here’s one of our stories from May 2011).

Last year’s changes were supposed to save money. However, it didn’t work out that way, according to district documents in tonight’s meeting packet – so now they’re looking at a new three-tier system, with bus arrivals at schools as early as 7:10 am, 15 minutes earlier than the earliest ones now, and longer bus rides. Here’s a screen grab:

No specific “which school would be in which tier” list already that we can find (and we’re asking the district just to be sure). The report on tonight’s agenda says this could save $1 million next year. For the current year, “transportation expenditures” may be almost $3 million over budget, the School Board has been told. Tonight’s board meeting (agenda here) is at 6 pm at district headquarters in SODO.

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West Seattle Crime Watch: Business burglary; crane climb
May 2, 2012 1:50 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Crime | West Seattle news

Two quick West Seattle Crime Watch notes this afternoon: First, a business burglary – a concerned customer texted us this morning to say they had heard Tony’s Market, the produce stand at 35th/Barton, had been hit by crime; we stopped in to check and the staff confirmed they had been burglarized overnight, but, they told us, the burglar(s) didn’t get away with much.

Second, police had to be called to the Youngstown Flats construction site at 26th/Dakota on Sunday night, according to the development team, when young trespassers were caught trying to climb the crane. The developers’ update says they broke through a “perimeter chain-link fence” to get to the crane, and so site security is being beefed up including “an additional barrier around the crane.”

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State Supreme Court Justice Steven González visits Chief Sealth
May 2, 2012 11:57 am
|      1 COMMENT
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

(Photo by WSB’s Patrick Sand)
Chief Sealth International High School‘s Cinco de Mayo assembly this morning included a high-profile guest: At right, that’s Washington Supreme Court Justice Steven González (with Seattle Police Officer Adrian Z. Diaz). Marta Sanchez in the Sealth office has known Justice González for years and arranged for him to speak at today’s assembly. He joined the state Supreme Court earlier this year, previously serving in King County Superior Court, where, just weeks before his move, we covered then-Judge González presiding over sentencing in a high-profile West Seattle case, that of “prolific burglar” John Novotny.

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Followup: 2nd round of offers today for ex-Fire Station 37
May 2, 2012 11:45 am
|      10 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle history | West Seattle news

(Student journalist Nicholas Trost, on assignment for WSB, shot this video tour before ex-FS 37 was vacated)
Seven months after the City Council gave final authorization for the sale of city-landmark former Fire Station 37 at 35th/Othello – vacant for a year and a half – it’s on the brink of being bought. We’ve tracked the sale process through the listing and the March/April open houses; April 20th was the deadline for offers – but senior vice president Arvin Vander Veen from Colliers International, handling the sale of ex-FS 37 and another one elsewhere in the city, tells WSB they asked a small number of prospective buyers for a second round of offers, and those are due today. Why a second round? we asked. His reply: “Because several offers were high and very close to each other, so we went back to a few for a best and final offer.” (They had said they wouldn’t accept offers less than $250,000.) The circa-1925 building is expected to become a private residence, in no small part because – as pointed out in a city report we excerpted last year – the site is zoned for single-family housing. Proceeds from the sale are to go back into the city’s Fire Levy program.

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West Seattle Wednesday: Highlights for today/tonight
May 2, 2012 10:05 am
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

Osprey 1

(Thanks to Doug B for sharing his osprey photo with the WSB Flickr group pool – it’s linked to his original, on Flickr)
A few things of note as the day goes on, and then into the night, from the WSB West Seattle Events Calendar:

TRAFFIC ALERT: Admiral Way paving continues north of the West Seattle Bridge; the bridge itself has inspection work happening today – details on both are here.

‘GiveBIG’ ONE-DAY DONATION DRIVE: Early this morning, we published a list of the special links for West Seattle, White Center, and South Park nonprofits that are participating in this one-day donate-a-palooza – with The Seattle Foundation offering a “stretch pool” that will make your donations go further. The list is here. Also note that your favorite nonprofit(s) may have extra matches going on – we know of at least two, West Seattle Helpline with a dollar-for-dollar match up to $2,500, and ArtsWest has its own matching fund too. And tonight if you dine at Proletariat Pizza or Zippy’s Giant Burgers, as part of “Dine Out for Hunger,” they are donating part of their dinner proceeds to the White Center Food Bank, which serves part of West Seattle too.

VIADUCT UPDATES: The every-few-months meeting of the Alaskan Way Viaduct South Portal Working Group is at 4 pm today, Sound Transit Board Room at 401 South Jackson downtown, with working-group members to be briefed on a variety of projects, including the waterfront-traffic reroutes reported here on Monday, transit routing during 99 construction, and how the Spokane Street Viaduct Widening Project is going.

ALSO TALKING 99/VIADUCT … and transit routing, will be the Southwest District Council, reps from community groups and other organizations around western West Seattle, meeting at 7 pm tonight, board room at South Seattle Community College (6000 16th SW).

DINNER/HAPPY HOUR EXPANDS AT LA ROMANZA: The newly renamed La Romanza Bistro Italiano (WSB sponsor) in The Junction is now serving dinner on Wednesdays, too, starting tonight. Happy Hour too, says proprietor Aimee Pellegrini!

PRIDE SKATE TONIGHT: At Southgate Roller Rink, 9-11 pm – here’s the Facebook event page.

Get a jump on the days and weeks (and months!) ahead – browse the full calendar here.

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Give BIG one-day donate-a-thon: How to help local nonprofits
May 2, 2012 3:01 am
|      16 COMMENTS
 |   How to help | West Seattle news

Dozens of local nonprofits are participating in today’s Seattle Foundation‘s one-day-only GiveBIG donate-a-thon. The foundation is offering a “stretch pool” of partial matching funds, to be distributed proportionately depending on how much each participating nonprofit raises on this single day, by 11:59 pm tonight. One BIG catch: You **must** donate through the nonprofit’s special page on the foundation’s website, NOT via the nonprofit’s own website. So we have gone through the foundation’s directory to find all those special pages for participating West Seattle, White Center, and South Park-based or -founded nonprofits (and a couple parent organizations). You can also use the special “go here” links below to find out more about any of these organizations – the links take you to pages on the Seattle Foundation website with background information and links to the organizations’ own sites, as well as the donation links to use for this one-day event. (P.S. Please let us know if we missed a WS, WC, or SP-based organization – post a comment or e-mail us!)

ANUNNAKI PROJECT – go here

ART FOR ANIMALS’ SAKE – go here

ARTS CORPS – go here

ARTSWEST – go here

CHIEF SEALTH PERFORMING ARTS – go here

COOLMOM – go here

DELRIDGE NEIGHBORHOODS DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION – go here

DUWAMISH RIVER CLEANUP COALITION – go here

DUWAMISH TRIBAL SERVICES – go here

ENVIRONMENTAL COALITION OF SOUTH SEATTLE – go here

FAUNTLEROY COMMUNITY SERVICE AGENCY – go here

FRIENDS OF SEALTH – go here

FULL LIFE CARE – go here

KNIT FOR LIFE – go here

KOL HANESHAMAH – go here

LOG HOUSE MUSEUM/SOUTHWEST SEATTLE HISTORICAL SOCIETY – go here

LUNGEVITY FOUNDATION – go here

MARRA FARM COALITION – go here

MULTI-COMMUNITIES – go here.

NATURE CONSORTIUM – go here

NEIGHBORHOOD HOUSE – go here

NEIGHBORHOOD FARMERS MARKET ALLIANCE – go here

NEW FUTURES – go here

NORTHWEST CENTER – go here

NORTHWEST HOPE AND HEALING – go here

OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE SCHOOL – go here

PONGO PUBLISHING – go here

PROVIDENCE MOUNT ST. VINCENT FOUNDATION – go here

SAFEFUTURES YOUTH CENTER – go here

SANISLO PTA – go here

SEATTLE CHINESE GARDEN – go here

SEATTLE PUBLIC LIBRARY FOUNDATION – go here

SENIOR SERVICES – go here

SOUND CHILD CARE SOLUTIONS – go here

SOUTH PARK AREA REDEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE – go here

SOUTH PARK INFORMATION AND RESOURCE CENTER – go here

SOUTH SEATTLE COMMUNITY COLLEGE FOUNDATION – go here

SOUTHWEST YOUTH AND FAMILY SERVICES – go here

TECHNOLOGY ACCESS FOUNDATION – go here

THE SERVICE BOARD – go here

TRANSITIONAL RESOURCES – go here

THE VILLAGE OF HOPE – go here

WEST SEATTLE FOOD BANK – go here

WEST SEATTLE HELPLINE – go here

WESTSIDE BABY – go here

WHITE CENTER COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION – go here

WHITE CENTER FOOD BANK – go here – and note, WCFB has added events today, as reported on our partner site White Center Now, including a portion of proceeds donated tonight if you dine at Proletariat Pizza or Zippy’s Giant Burgers in WC

YES FOUNDATION OF WHITE CENTER – go here

YMCA OF GREATER SEATTLE – go here

YOUTH MEDIA INSTITUTE – go here

YWCA OF SEATTLE – go here

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Door-to-door alerts: Solicitor reports, and the rules
May 1, 2012 10:42 pm
|      24 COMMENTS
 |   Door-to-door alert | West Seattle news

Over the past few days, we’ve received multiple reports of door-to-door solicitors – or people claiming to be – working this area. Ahead, some of those reports, and a reminder about the rules, in case somebody turns up at your door:Read More

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As-it-happened coverage: West Seattle house fire sends 1 to the hospital; damage estimated at $250,000
May 1, 2012 5:29 pm
|      31 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle fires | West Seattle news | WS breaking news

(Photo by Christopher Boffoli for WSB)
ORIGINAL 5:29 PM REPORT: Even before seeing the 911 call, our crew saw the smoke from miles north – a house-fire call in the 8400 block of 20th SW (map). We’re on our way.

(Photo courtesy Lisa)
5:34 PM UPDATE: From the scanner – “heavy fire in the basement” of a one-story home; everybody got out of the house safely.

5:40 PM UPDATE: Our crew has arrived and is seeing the flames in the basement, plus lots of smoke, and firefighters on the roof working on ventilation. Via the scanner, we hear two more engines being requested. Adding photos as we get them.

(Photo courtesy Amber, view from the alley)
5:55 PM UPDATE: Flames have broken through the roof. We have two crews on scene.

(Photo by WSB’s Patrick Sand)
SFD says its crews are in a “defensive position” on the fire now – basically, making sure it doesn’t spread, and taking precautions to ensure firefighters’ safety. The department’s public information officer and investigators are being sent now too.

(Video by Christopher Boffoli for WSB)
6:09 PM UPDATE: Not out yet. Firefighters are going back into “offensive” mode, per radio traffic.

6:21 PM UPDATE: One hour after crews arrived, the fire is now deemed under control, but that doesn’t mean it’s out. They’re asking for the Red Cross to help two residents, described as a woman in her 80s and a man in his 50s. Too soon to say how the fire started. (Thanks to those who have shared photos and who texted/e-mailed to be sure we’d heard about this!)

6:33 PM UPDATE: Our crews at the scene have just talked with SFD spokesperson Kyle Moore, who says the residents are an 85-year-old woman and her 59-year-old son. He was taken to the hospital with minor burns suffered while trying to put the fire out himself. (added) Here’s video of his briefing, in its entirety:

6:56 PM UPDATE: The fire is finally declared “tapped” after an hour and a half. According to Moore, crews will likely have to keep “fire watch” through much of the night, which means a crew will remain at the scene just in case of flare-ups.

9:13 PM NOTE: No word yet on the fire’s cause. In comments, Deborah says the fire survivors are her grandmother and uncle, and she is thankful to those who called 911, because her grandmother couldn’t get the call to go through when she tried.

10:27 PM UPDATE: SFD says its investigation determined that “improperly discarded smoking materials” sparked the fire; damage is estimated at $250,000. Here’s the department’s summary, via its Fire Line website.

Meantime – We have more visuals to share, both from neighbors and from our crew; click ahead if interested:Read More

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May Day & other ongoing PM commute updates
May 1, 2012 3:49 pm
|      18 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

(Police presence downtown – photo by Christopher Boffoli for WSB)
As promised, we’ll be publishing updates on whether May Day marching/rallying is affecting the commute through downtown, and this way. (Right now, a bout of wild weather has hit – with a hail-infused deluge hitting West Seattle about 10 minutes ago and headed east – though it looks like the sun will return once it moves through). Stay tuned for toplines.

ONGOING COVERAGE: Our partners at the Seattle Times have been publishing quick, short updates here. … The Seattle Police SPD Blotter has published a roundup of vandalism damage and arrests (2 as of 3 pm) ad promises updates … (added 4:21 pm) KING 5 also has ongoing online coverage incorporating tweets, photos and other quick updates from their staff and other local media. … To check on Metro delays, you can watch their commute-updates website (we’re checking it too).

4:28 PM UPDATE: KING reports via Twitter that a group of marchers is at 1st and Bell. This would be separate from the prescheduled march that was to gather south of downtown half an hour from now. One other note: The Times mentioned school-bus delays; we checked with Seattle Public Schools and that’s ONLY the buses running in downtown/Capitol Hill – no effects here.

4:37 PM UPDATE: Only “minor” delays downtown for transit, Metro reports.

UNRELATED TRAFFIC UPDATE AT 4:57 PM: Just got a tip from Lisa that there is a car vs. semi crash at the west end of the “low bridge,” no injuries reported so far. We’re en route to check.

(Photo by WSB’s Patrick Sand – car is up against right side of the semi, right side of photo)
5:22 PM UPDATE: That incident is causing some trouble coming off the low bridge, but traffic’s being routed around it. Adding a photo in a moment. Meantime, we just got a text from someone saying southbound 99 is actually LIGHTER headed this way than usual. (Here’s a new SDOT camera we will be adding to the WSB Traffic page – looking north at the southbound Viaduct flow at King St.)

And from downtown, we are adding photos taken by WSB contributor Christopher Boffoli, who says the biggest effect he noticed while downtown was the increased police presence.

5:46 PM UPDATE: Police now report eight arrests so far since this morning. The city, meantime, says it’s activated its Emergency Operations Center to help with public-safety concerns. The prescheduled march is heading eastbound on Pike from 4th as of right now.

6:25 PM UPDATE: The rally downtown is under way. We’ve been monitoring the scanner and the ongoing coverage from citywide media. Metro says marchers are northbound on 4th and that some buses are stuck in a jam downtown.

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