West Seattle, Washington
10 Wednesday
Thanks to BJ, proprietor of Brunette Mix (WSB sponsor) in The Junction, for sharing the photo of her new neighbors from Fiddlehead Fine Foods and Café, putting up their sign today. We had noticed just yesterday that one of their doors was topped with a rendering of their namesake fern:
Fiddlehead is the coming-soon breakfast/lunch café that’s taken over the former Blue Willow Catering/Luncheonette spot at 4310 SW Oregon, just steps west of California SW. We’re still working to get key Fiddlehead details such as target opening date, and we’ll report ’em when we get ’em. Blue Willow, you might recall, moved out four months ago, saying it would continue its catering operations from a commercial kitchen elsewhere.
The big fire response to the 8100 block of 15th SW this past half-hour was for a problem that turned out NOT to be a fire – we went to the scene just to verify, and fire crews told us it was a smoldering electrical wire. They’re canceling the rest of the units now.
Since the Republican presidential-nomination race seems far from settled, expect a lot of national-media attention on our state in the coming week, with the party’s precinct caucuses set for one week from today – 10 am to noon, Saturday, March 3. To get your Republican caucus location online, you have to use the “caucus locator” lookup; we tried a sampling of precinct numbers (using this map) and so far it looks like north West Seattle goes to West Seattle High School, south West Seattle to the Evergreen Campus in White Center (let us know if your precinct comes up with someplace different). Though in 2008, both parties caucused on the same day, this year they’re more than a month apart; Democratic precinct caucuses are on April 15th, also 10 am-noon, location list and times to come. And in case you’ve forgotten, there’s no presidential primary; it was called off to save an estimated $10 million.
(ADDED SUNDAY: Another photo of the sky show; scroll down!)
3:06 PM: No snow so far, and the wind advisory has been called off, but a bit of wild weather just moved through – an ice-pellet shower, which we caught on video in case the experts want to offer the proper ID (we still haven’t sorted out hail vs. sleet vs. graupel, etc.). According to the newest forecast, there’s still a chance of snow showers between now and Monday.
6:24 PM NOTE: The sky show mentioned in our morning preview – the moon and Mercury, Venus, and Jupiter – is clearly visible right now in the twilight sky – look west, and up. (Here’s info from Space.com.)
6:43 PM UPDATE: Thanks to Melissa for the photo. Jupiter is in the far upper left; Venus is below the moon.
SUNDAY MORNING ADDITION: Thanks to David Hutchinson for the view from Alki Statue of Liberty Plaza!
Today was the day for the annual one-morning ritual at the Alaska Marine Lines loading dock on West Marginal Way SW – minivans and SUVs lining up along the bays where only semi-trucks usually roam. The cargo – this year’s West Seattle quota of Girl Scout Cookies:
That’s Sarah, one of the Scouts who pitched in to get the boxes of cookies to the troop leaders/parents whose pickups were paced across the span of a few morning hours. Some boxes are destined for fulfillment of preorders; others will be stacked at tables outside (mostly) grocery stores when open public sales start next Friday (March 2nd). To find out which troops are selling cookies where, and when, you an use the online Cookie Locator.
(Click for larger view)
Another peek at a world that’s all around us, yet so small it’s all but out of sight: Photographer Machel Spence explains her image:
I just had to share this because it’s pretty darn amazing! It’s a phantom shrimp I happened to come across down by the water; they are also called skeleton shrimps … this one was fairly small (1/2 an inch) but they can get up to 2 inches. She has a brood pouch too, which I personally have never actually seen with my own eyes (just in books). In the past, I have come across large colonies of these but they move around so much, they can be hard to photograph, but this beautiful girl just stayed completely still (pretty awesome moment!) It was on a piece of eelgrass down at Alki. They are not actually shrimps but amphipods.
(More info about them can be found here.)
(Click for larger view: Aerial photo by Long B. Nguyen, looking over West Seattle in early February )
Happy Saturday! From the WSB West Seattle Events calendar:
NICKELSVILLE FUNDRAISER PANCAKE BREAKFAST: 8 am-11 am at West Seattle Church of the Nazarene, 42nd and Juneau. By donation (which two donors have said they’ll match to $500, meaning first $500 will be tripled). Here’s the announcement in the WSB Forums.
AT THE TOOL LIBRARY: Click-Together Cork Flooring, “work in progress” event at West Seattle Tool Library, 9 am-5 pm. Details and RSVP here.
PUGET CREEK WATERSHED RESTORATION: On the grounds of Sanislo Elementary, 10 am-1 pm, volunteers appreciated! Details in this WSB preview.
ME-KWA-MOOKS WORK PARTY: 10 am-2 pm, EarthCorps‘ volunteer work party at Me-Kwa-Mooks Park. This is a Green Seattle Partnership project.
WEST SEATTLE PARTICIPANTS AT SEATTLE HOME SHOW: Seattle Home Show‘s 2nd-to-last day, 10 am-8 pm, at CenturyLink Field Event Center. Participants include WSB sponsors Ventana Construction, Potter Construction, and NCompass Cottage Company.
SUPPORT GROUP: Grace Church hosts a 13-week GriefShare recovery support group starting today for those that have lost a loved one by death. Saturday mornings, 10 am-11:30 am, 10323 28th SW, you can join at any time, onetime cost $15 (for a journal).
TOT SHABBAT: Presented by West Seattle Torah Learning Center, 10:30 am till noon. From the announcement: “Calling all tots! Join us for singing stories and lots of fun with Morah Miriam. Followed by TLC kiddush lunch for everyone!” E-mail for location info, gitifredman@gmail.com
STORY TIME and every Saturday: 11 am at Westwood Village Barnes and Noble, with treats for the kids, all ages welcome.
IN TANDEM MIDWIFERY, GRAND OPENING: This new and one-of-a-kind practice at 4517 California Ave SW (upstairs, in the breezeway), is having a grand-opening open house noon-4 pm. (Here’s our feature on In Tandem.)
VISIT THE VIETNAMESE CULTURAL CENTER: Open to the public noon-3 pm every Saturday, 2236 SW Orchard (north of Home Depot; past WSB coverage here).
JAN’S BEAUTY SUPPLY, BRIEF CLOSURE: Starting at 1:30 pm, this Junction business is closing through Monday for some work, as previewed here.
OCCUPY WEST SEATTLE: Its next General Assembly is at 2 pm today at Café Rozella.
MEMORIAL FOR FORMER CHIEF SEALTH PRINCIPAL: Per the obituary published on WSB Friday, the service is 2 pm today for Shuzo Chris Kato at Blaine Memorial United Methodist Church.
ON A ROLL: Roller derby at Southgate Roller Rink in White Center! Seattle Derby Brats vs. I-5 Rollergirls – details here and also in this Facebook invite. Doors open 5:30 pm.
9TH ANNUAL BARLEYWINE BACCHANAL: Weeklong event starts today at Beveridge Place Pub. From BPP: “Join us for Seattle’s oldest week-long barleywine festival! We’ll have 24 rotating taps all dedicated to the world’s biggest, strongest, brews. From Bellingham to Boulder and Beyond, these beers are sure to knock your socks off! Specific Days with Specific Vertical tastings of multiple vintages.”
SHOW IN THE SKY: If there’s a break in the clouds, this planetary show might be visible again.
P.S. – WEST SEATTLE COMMUNITY GARAGE SALE DAY APPROACHES: Coordinated/presented by WSB again this year, West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day is coming up May 12 – eleven weeks from today. We’ll be announcing registration info in a few weeks.
By Tracy Record and Patrick Sand
West Seattle Blog co-publishers
Just before heading out for the midwinter break that concludes this weekend, Chief Sealth International High School football players were 
served a sizable helping of food for thought.
It came in a closed-door meeting with their new coach, Luther Carr III (right), last Friday afternoon. Immediately afterward, we got a chance to talk with the coach whose appointment was announced two days earlier, three months after athletic director Sam Reed announced the search for a new coach, following years of losing seasons.
The day of his first Sealth team meeting – Friday, February 17th — was Coach Carr’s first day on the job.
Burien’s bid to annex White Center and most of the rest of what remains of unincorporated North Highline (the green “Area Y” in the map above) is fairly far down the road, as we’ve been reporting on partner site White Center Now, but in case it somehow stalls, Seattle is retaining its potential interest. That’s the bottom line of a brief discussion today by the Seattle City Council‘s Economic Resiliency and Government Relations Committee.
Last year, Seattle councilmembers promised to decide by this month whether they would continue supporting the status of White Center (etc.) as a “potential annexation area,” despite having said that they didn’t think they could afford to pursue it and so wouldn’t get in Burien’s way; today’s discussion fulfills that promise. City staff said there wasn’t much to lose in keeping it designated as a “potential annexation area” – right now, Burien is waiting to see if the Legislature will preserve or cut a tax-related funding source that is vital to keeping the annexation affordable for them (or any other city). Even if they do, Burien then needs to take the matter to voters in the area, before annexation would be final.
Meantime, Seattle is expected to move forward on annexing some unincorporated turf that isn’t part of what Burien is pursuing, the so-called “Sliver by the River” in the South Park area and the “Duwamish Triangle,” with a council discussion planned March 5th.
With all the wonderful photos that we’ve been fortunate to be able to publish, it seemed that the new image-viewing site Pinterest was a place to be. We signed up a couple weeks ago and just now created our first board – West Seattle Wildlife (note – we respect copyrights here, and will NOT pin contributors’ copyrighted photos unless they have given us explicit permission). If you use Pinterest too, see you there. Since it’s a quiet Friday night (so far), seems like an opportunity to remind you about some other places you can find, and collaborate with, WSB, since this is our fifth year of using “social media” to be where you are, when you’re not here:
Facebook page
facebook.com/westseattleblog
Flickr group
flickr.com/groups/westseattleblog
Google+ (jury’s still out on this one)
gplus.to/westseattleblog
Pinterest
pinterest.com/westseattleblog
Twitter (human-powered)
twitter.com/westseattleblog
Twitter (automated stream of WSB story links)
twitter.com/westseattlenews
Twitter (West Seattle Crime Watch links)
twitter.com/wseattlecrime
YouTube (where we upload most of the video clips we use in stories)
youtube.com/westseattleblog
If you don’t use any of those services, no worries – you won’t miss anything; WSB on the Web is the main place to be. (With a handy mobile format that automatically kicks in if you check the site via smartphone.) Then, there’s the good old-fashioned stuff – the simplest ways to reach us, whether or not you’re on the other services too:
24/7 phone (text or voice)
206-293-6302
e-mail
editor@westseattleblog.com (news)
patrick@wsbsales.com (advertising)
Zippy’s Giant Burgers is warmly – sizzlingly – welcomed today as one of the newest WSB sponsors. They’ve been in business going on four years now, and here’s what the Zippy’s team would like you to know:
Zippy’s may be popular, but they’re not puffed up about it. Say West Seattle-residing owners Blaine and Rahel Cook (photo, front and center): “We don’t claim to make the ‘best’ burger, nor are we part of the ‘gourmet burger’ bandwagon (though our burgers are more gourmet than others) – we let our food speak for itself. Some people won’t like it and that’s OK. I guess we’d say ‘come on in and give us a try’.”
As for those who have given Zippy’s a try, and keep coming back: “They love our burgers and they like how we address them by their first names. This can be somewhat embarrassing when we’re out doing our shopping. … We believe that our ‘keep it simple’ approach to making what is already a simple meal is one of the reasons people come back. Since we really weren’t ground-beef eaters when we opened the restaurant, it was incredibly important for us to like what we make. The only way we found that we like the taste is to grind the meat ourselves. We think our customers appreciate this as well. We think we’ve made a lot of friends over the years. There are lots of customers that have moved away from us and they still keep coming back. We’ve been welcomed by both the Highland Park and White Center neighborhoods; we’re proud to be part of the community and that pride shows in what we do.”
See for yourself by checking out Zippy’s Giant Burgers, open 7 days a week at 9614 14th SW; online (including the menu!) at zippysgiantburgers.com, and on Facebook here; you can call advance orders to 206-763-1347.
We thank Zippy’s Giant Burgers for sponsoring independent, community-collaborative neighborhood news on WSB; find our current sponsor team listed in directory format here, and find info on joining the team by going here.
The team at Jan’s Beauty Supply in The Junction wanted to get the word out about this:
“Jan’s Beauty Supply will be closing at 1:30pm Saturday Feb 25th and remain closed Monday, February 27th, due to remodeling. We will resume regular business hours Tuesday, February 28th. Thanks for your patience and come check out our new look!”
1 person was hurt and taken to the hospital after a 2-vehicle crash that briefly blocked northbound traffic in the 8400 block of Fauntleroy Way, across from central Lincoln Park. Should be clearing now, as crews were starting to pack up when we left the scene a few minutes ago, but since it’s a high-visibility spot – traffic coming from the ferry terminal had to maneuver around the scene – we thought it worth a mention.
Shane e-mailed on behalf of a friend whose SUV was stolen in the Delridge/Holden area:
It is a 1988 Chevy Suburban, WA Plates: WA7TZ (her ham call sign).
It is golden brown with a wide black stripe and has chrome wheels and dark tinted windows. It has roof and mirror mounted antennas. I’m kind of hoping it sticks out and someone has seen it. There was some ham radio equipment in it as well that I doubt is still there although likely useless to whomever stole it.
The owner is a real nice lady who gives a lot to the community and I’d like to see her get it back.
Please call 911 if you see it.
1:28 PM: We’ve been watching the forecast since mentioning way back on Monday that weather experts foresaw a chance of snow this weekend. Now that the weekend’s almost here, the National Weather Service is still saying there’s a chance – more likely to see some flakes mixed in with showers, but could be a bit more. The city says it’s ready “just in case,” including preparing for the possibility of icy roads Sunday night/Monday morning. We’ll be updating all weekend long, of course, as things happen (or don’t)…
5:20 PM UPDATE: Wait – before we get to possible snow, there’s a wind advisory in effect for most of Saturday, starting at midnight tonight.
Just up on SPD Blotter: Police have arrested a suspect in last December’s holdup at the Super 24 (here’s our original coverage of the incident), after a tip resulting from a TV show. The arrest was made in the 5600 block of 21st SW. Full story here.
A memorial service is planned tomorrow for Shuzo Chris Kato, a longtime educator who was a former Chief Sealth (pre-International) High School principal, among many other things. His family shares this remembrance:
Shuzo Chris Kato passed away peacefully on February 7, 2012 at the age of 85 after a battle with cancer. During WWII, his family was sent to Minidoka Relocation Center in Hunt, ID. Shuzo graduated high school while in camp from Hunt High. He served in the Army from 1945-1947.
Shuzo attended Bethel College and the University of Washington where he majored in Engineering. He married Jean Kawachi in 1958 and they raised their family in Seattle. He earned a Masters degree in Chemistry from Oregon State University and his Administrator credentials from Seattle University. An avid judoist and sensei, Shuzo did judo for 60 years and taught judo for 43 years, winning a National Judo Championship in 1957 and earning a 7th-degree black belt. He began his teaching career with the Seattle School District in 1953. He taught at Denny Jr. High, Mercer Jr. High, and Queen Anne High. He was a Vice Principal at Sharples Jr. High and at Cleveland High. He retired as Principal of Chief Sealth High after 36 years in education.
(Photo by WSB co-publisher Patrick Sand)
Most of the seal-pup photos you see here on WSB are courtesy of Seal Sitters – by “first responder” Robin Lindsey, or sometimes volunteer David Hutchinson. This time, we were lucky to see one ourselves, while out for a walk on the Lincoln Park shore. Two Seal Sitters volunteers were guarding this pup yesterday morning. This morning, we talked with Robin, who tells WSB this was one of SIX seal pups reported on West Seattle beaches yesterday! She also writes about that on the Seal Sitters “Blubberblog” (by the way, the one we photographed is NOT the one she says they’re worried about). Once again, you are reminded to please give them plenty of space – this time of year, they are weaned pups, at least six months old, who catch their own food, and come ashore to rest; off-leash dogs are a threat, as are some well-meaning humans – no, you don’t need to chase the seal back into the water, they’re fine while resting on land! If you see a marine mammal on a local beach, by the way – call Seal Sitters to make sure they know (206-905-7325 – that’s 905-SEAL), and if you would like to join their volunteer corps (big need for it, considering how busy they’ve been), a training session is coming up March 3rd; see how to be part of it, here.
(Youngstown Flats crane reflection, West Seattle Corporate Center; photo by ‘Old Desolate‘ from WSB Flickr group pool)
Some of what’s up today/tonight, from the WSB West Seattle Events calendar:
WEST SEATTLE GARDEN CLUB: 10 am to 2 pm today, the West Seattle Garden Club meets at Daystar Retirement Village (WSB sponsor), 2615 SW Barton, Building #1. Agenda provided by the club: Registration and Social Time, 10 to 10:30 am, followed by Business and Study Program with member Sharon Barrea speaking on “Creating a Dry Stream Bed in a Small Garden,” commentary on Design and Horticulture Exhibits. Brown Bag Lunch time at noon, with dessert and beverage provided. For the 1 pm Afternoon program, hear Paige Miller, guest speaker, talk about the 230-acre “Washington Park Arboretum,” with its treasure of species plants. Visitors welcome; donation $5.
SEATTLE COUNCIL DISCUSSES WHITE CENTER: Though Burien is pursuing annexation of White Center and other unannexed parts of North Highline, the Seattle City Council still has some loose ends regarding the issue and whether the city should renounce any interest in the area, and that discussion is on the agenda at 2 pm today at Seattle City Hall for the Economic Resiliency and Regional Relations Committee.
DOUBLE BIRTHDAY AT ‘THE BRIDGE’: The lounge/restaurant on 35th just south of Avalon has two reasons to celebrate tonight – its 1st anniversary, and co-proprietor Rita‘s birthday. Jenny from The Bridge told us via e-mail that there’ll be drink specials and general revelry. Details here.
RAINBOW BINGO: Tonight’s the night for the “Mardi Gras” edition of Rainbow Bingo at the Senior Center of West Seattle (California/Oregon in The Junction; WSB sponsor), 6 pm.
WORLD MUSIC AT C & P: The world/improvisational music of Yesod is live at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor), 6-8 pm.
LIVE JAZZ AT SALTY’S: 8:00-10:00 pm at Salty’s on Alki, singer/songwriter Barbie Anaka performs a mix of classic and contemporary jazz, in the lounge, no cover, during late-night happy hour.
(Photo courtesy Steve Richmond)
A restoration project on the grounds of a local school has just received last-minute district clearance – and so Steve Richmond is putting out a last-minute call for volunteers to work tomorrow on restoring the wetland that’s on the grounds of Sanislo Elementary School:
Puget Creek Watershed Alliance is working to be good upstream neighbors to the Duwamish Tribe to support their efforts to daylight Puget Creek and restore salmon habitat near the Longhouse and Cultural Center in West Seattle. Restoring the watershed with native plants and evergreen trees helps reduce stormwater and sewer overflows into Puget Sound. Help remove blackberry, plant a tree, and build a better community!
When: Saturday, February 25, 2012 (every 4th Saturday)
Time: 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM (Join for an hour or all day)
Where: Sanislo School Wetland; 1812 SW Myrtle
What to bring: Gloves, shovel, pruners (we’ll have extra, but write your name on your tools), weather-appropriate gear (rain or cold), hat/eye/sun protection, food/water, sturdy shoes/boots. Snacks and water provided.Funded by a grant from King County Wastewater Treatment Division.
Just last Saturday, we were up in the Easy Street Records loft, rolling video on local-musician-made-good Damien Jurado‘s packed in-store show. Tonight, from the same spot, we caught that view of the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce After-Hours mixer. As members mingled in the café, a Junction power quartet paused to pose:
From left, West 5‘s Dave Montoure, who chairs the Chamber’s board; Elliott Bay Brewing‘s Todd Carden; Husky Deli proprietor Jack Miller; and the evening’s host, Matt Vaughan of Easy Street. Next up for the Chamber is the debut of its Young Professionals’ Network (explained here earlier this week), at West 5 next Tuesday – and looking all the way ahead to April 18th, you’re invited to come cheer the newly announced Westside Award winners (ticket info on the Chamber website).
Eight days ago, there was a frantic effort by many people over many hours to rescue a dog that was wandering in and out of traffic by Lincoln Park, around Fauntleroy and Rose. Animal-control officers and police reportedly even tried to capture it, but couldn’t. Gretchen e-mailed us the next day:
Any updates on the pit bull on Fauntleroy? I was out there for hours last night trying to catch him. So sad. But so many people stopped to help. I am sure everyone would like to know the status of the dog. It seemed as if someone had dumped him there and left, as he kept coming back to the same spot looking for something. Heart-breaking.
Now we know what happened to the dog – that’s her in the top photo, provided by Animal Aid and Rescue Foundation (AARF). Heather from AARF writes that a friend found the dog in the park a week ago, but the dog is in danger again because her “72-hour stray hold” at a shelter is expiring and she is “not considered adoptable … because she doesn’t like other dogs. … Unless we pull her, she will be euthanized.” And AARF can’t do that without finding a foster home. “The foster home would need to be a home without other animals. After she calms down from the stress of a week in the kennel, we can bring a trainer out to reassess her to judge how well she’ll do then.” Of course, Heather says they would also love to find the dog’s real owner, if somehow they are out there looking for her. If you can offer a foster home – or if you are/know the owner – e-mail info@myaarf.org.
5:23 PM: Police and fire have responded to a call listed as “assault with weapons/aid” in Highland Park, near HP Way/Holden. We’ve just arrived at the scene and are seeing one person, who appears conscious, being loaded into a private ambulance, and it appears one person is in custody.
5:35 PM UPDATE: Though this was reported as a potential “assault with weapons,” police tell us at the scene they can’t find any evidence of weapons – three people got into some kind of fistfight and at least one is hurt, though not seriously.
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