West Seattle, Washington
19 Thursday
A month and a half ago, we reported on the sale of the site south of The Junction known as “Spring Hill” 
(no relation to the restaurant), once slated to be developed by BlueStar, the original developer of what is now “The Hole.” The broker announced the new owners wanted to break ground ASAP on the mixed-use project site at 5020 California SW, currently holding three vacant, rundown buildings. Tonight, it looks like that plan is moving forward – the demolition permit has just been granted. And the city webpage for that permit reveals who the new owner is, something that wasn’t made public at the time the sale was announced – Burien-based F & M Development, which mentions the project on its website. A new land-use application indicates the project is changing somewhat from what was approved three years ago – it’s now set for 101 apartments, instead of 91 units, though the retail space is still described as the same size, 4,000 square feet. The renderings on the F & M website appear to be the same as those produced back in 2008, and the site mentions the same architect (Hewitt). Most of the projects listed on the F & M website are outside Seattle; the nearest one is Coronado Springs, a public-housing complex in White Center, redeveloped by F & M in 2004. We’ll be contacting them to find out more about the Spring Hill timetable and plan.
Since the weekend traffic alerts start early this time around – with I-90 closures for the Blue Angels each of the next four days – SDOT is already out with its citywide weekend traffic advisory. Those closures are part of it, and there’s more, ahead:Read More
Two quick notes: First, “The Big Bonanza” is back this year in The Junction. The big Junction-wide sale is set for August 20th, and the list of more than 30 participants is already on The Junction’s website – see it here. Again this year, just look for the red balloons and checked tablecloths! Second, longtime WSB sponsor Click! Design That Fits has announced a special event for tomorrow night’s edition of “Shop Late Thursdays” – West Seattle-based cookbook author Kim O’Donnel will be at Click! with tastings of dishes from her “Meat Lover’s Meatless Cookbook,” 6 pm tomorrow. (Any other “Shop Late” participants with something special tomorrow? Let us know!)
(Exterior signage going up this afternoon; photo by WSB’s Patrick Sand)
The official opening date and time is finally set for the new Admiral Safeway, which is close to complete, as you’ve noticed if you have driven by (or checked the construction webcam): It will open to the public at noon on Thursday, August 11th, Safeway’s Sara Osborne tells WSB. That’s ten days short of one year after the old store closed, three and a half years after first indication the store would be replaced, and one day earlier than the tentative opening date mentioned previously. More details about the opening festivities will be out soon, according to Osborne.
Other recent updates we’ve published regarding the redeveloped site (which is more than the store): Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt will join Umpqua Bank as a tenant in the new retail building north of the store along California SW, opening in September, and the 78-unit apartment project on the southeast side of the site will be called Element 42, with leasing scheduled to start sometime next year.
1:50 PM: The Seafair Fleet Parade of Ships show actually started off west-facing West Seattle – as they staged between Beach Drive and Bainbridge Island before turning to head toward Elliott Bay. The ship that looks like an aircraft carrier is the amphibious-assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard. It led the way, and along with the other parading ships is now headed toward the downtown waterfront. (added) Here’s video featuring a stand-up paddleboarder watching seemingly close-up while it headed that way:
Hope you caught the early alerts via Facebook or Twitter if you weren’t already out on the shore – as LOTS of people were, and still are; we’re by Duwamish Head but have been tracking the ships since Emma Schmitz Viewpoint on Beach Drive. (photo added) Madge Bloom caught this view of the BR’s stern, and the U.S. Coast Guard alongside:
ADDED 2:15 PM: One of the flybys – so far they’ve all been along the downtown waterfront, but visible from here (particularly with zoom):
Not sure yet which aircraft that was. More video to be added. The biggest ship in the parade, meantime, the Bonhomme Richard, is headed west out of the bay right now but will have to come back this way since it’s moored at Terminal 25 by the bridge for Seafair – so you have another chance to see it if you haven’t yet.
3:11 PM UPDATE: Now the show – from West Seattle shores, anyway – is just about over. We’ll be adding even more video and photos – starting with another one of the flybys, ahead (NOTE: also adding yet more this evening – thanks to everyone who’s shared pix – and thanks also to Seafair for sharing photos taken on board the Bonhomme Richard as it sailed by!):
Today we welcome a new sponsor, The Kenney, West Seattle’s original senior-living community. If you or a loved one is looking for a place where you can get a little help with such things as managing your medications, bathing and dressing, meal or activity reminders, The Kenney would like you to know that they have been providing that kind of care for a little over a century.
Here’s what else they would like you to know: At The Kenney, we provide life how it’s supposed to be lived. Here, we’re all about community – staying active, making new friends, loving life – while also serving each resident’s unique and individual needs. You’ll live each day to the fullest at The Kenney, secure in the knowledge that you’ll be cared for, in good health or poor health, for the rest of your life. Whether you join our community in independent living, assisted living, or our nursing and rehab center, you’ll be able to access all lifestyles at The Kenney if and when you need them. As a not-for-profit community, our only priorities are our residents’ comfort, security and care. Our revenue is used to enrich the lives of the people who live here, not to pay investors. And, we have a better staff-to-resident ratio than most for-profit retirement communities. That’s the not-for-profit difference. As resident Gisela Schultz says, “The Kenney feels like a tight-knit family, and best of all, I don’t have to worry about home repairs and yard work. I wish I had moved here ten years ago!”
The Kenney‘s staff belong to the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce, the West Seattle Champions BNI Group, and Aging Services of Washington. On the Web, you’ll find The Kenney at thekenney.org; on Facebook, they’re here. They’re at 7125 Fauntleroy Way, 206-937-2800.
We thank The Kenney 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.
(“Sparkling Seattle” Hi-Yu float parked alongside Admiral Safeway before West Seattle Grand Parade 7/23/2011)
One of the many unique attributes about our wonderful part of the city is the fact it’s the LAST neighborhood in Seattle with its own traveling parade float. West Seattle Hi-Yu keeps afloat, so to speak, thanks to the hard work of a relatively small group of volunteers, and community support. Today, Hi-Yu has an urgent request for help with something that volunteers can’t just pull out of thin air – someplace to put the float:
West Seattle Hi-Yu has been having an amazing award-winning parade season with our “Sparkling Seattle” parade float and we are very proud that we have been able to represent West Seattle as the last community parade float in Seattle again this year.
All this year, the Bills Family has kindly been parking and storing the float in their yard, Hi-Yu thanks them for graciously providing us with this space. As the parade season draws to a close, it is necessary for us to vacate, and we are again faced with the dilemma of finding a storage location for our float and trailer. To store the float we would require space in the dimensions of 25′ x 10′ and it could be indoor or outdoor. We are pretty desperate, so if you have space, own or work for a company that has a secure parking lot, or know of anyone who may be able to help us, please contact Tim Winston 206-938-2088 as soon as possible.
Thank you for your support and for helping to keep this community tradition going strong!!
Not that long ago, each Seattle Police precinct had an assigned full-time liaison from the City Attorney’s Office. Many of the cases on which they worked went beyond the standard crime-and-punishment – they included nuisance properties, for example. Then came the cuts, and now, for example, West Seattle’s Southwest Precinct, like its counterparts, has just a share of a city lawyer’s time. City Attorney Pete Holmes is proposing that the next city budget fully restore the program, one liaison per precinct – read on for the news release just in from his office:Read More
Update on the Centennial of Naval Aviation flyovers expected during the Seafair Fleet Parade of Ships this afternoon: We asked for a list, and Seafair spokesperson Melissa Jurcan obliged:
U.S. Navy EA-6B Prowler, U.S. Navy EA-18G Growler, U.S. Navy P-3 Orion, U.S. Navy E6B Mercury, U.S. Coast Guard HH60 Helicopter, U.S. Coast Guard HH65 Dolphin Helicopter, and the T-34 Mentor.
Again, the Parade of Ships in Elliott Bay is scheduled to start around 1:45 – but that information is mostly geared for those who will watch from the downtown waterfront, so be looking out at the bay from West Seattle sooner if you’re interested, and keep an eye out here (as well as on our Facebook and Twitter channels) for updates.
If you haven’t seen the announcement in the WSB Forums – the Zippy’s Giant Burgers crew are giving advance warning that they’re going on vacation starting August 13th, reopening August 22nd. And they’ll be back to opening on Sundays too as of August 28th. (Got another favorite local burger to suggest people try while they’re gone? Add a comment!)
Been meaning to go look at the Denny school demolition? Time’s running out – as of yesterday afternoon, nothing’s left but part of the main building fronting on 30th SW south of SW Thistle. That work continues today, and here are other highlights from the WSB West Seattle Events calendar;
SEAFAIR FLEET PARADE OF SHIPS TODAY: Around 1:45 pm, you should see the Seafair Parade of Ships in Elliott Bay, from north- and northeast-facing West Seattle shores, as they head to the downtown waterfront. Flyovers are planned too, in honor of the centennial of U.S. Navy aviation. Here’s our original preview listing the participating vessels – note that you may see some of them sooner; the USS Chafee, for example, is coming in this morning. Ship tours are tomorrow-Sunday. More here.
SEE THE DUWAMISH, CLOSE UP: Tonight is the next date in the 2011 Summer Community Kayak Tour series by Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition. New start time: 6 pm, running till 8:30 pm. RSVP to Alki Kayak Tours (206) 953-0237. Tours cost $45 per person, we also ask for a $5 donation per person to DRCC/TAG to support our educational programs. All equipment, instructions, and guiding are provided. Tonight, meet at Duwamish Waterway Park (7900 10th Avenue South) in South Park.
BUY FRESH PRODUCE, RIGHT WHERE IT’S GROWN – IN WEST SEATTLE: 3rd week of the High Point Market Garden Farm Stand, 4-7 pm, 32nd Ave SW and SW Juneau. This is a weekly Farm Stand selling seasonal fresh organically grown produce right in the garden where the produce is grown. Accepts Basic Food EBT cards.
LIVE IN-STORE CONCERT AT EASY STREET: Those Darlins play at 6 pm at Easy Street Records in The Junction, free, all ages.
NICK DEL CALZO AT THE KENNEY: Meet award-winning photographer Nick Del Calzo, creator and photographer of “Medal of Honor: Portraits of Valor Beyond the Call of Duty” at The Kenney (WSB sponsor; 7125 Fauntleroy Way SW), Community Room 2, 7 – 9 pm. Free and open to the public. Books will be available for purchase and personalized autographs. RSVP: Reception@TheKenney.org or 206.937.2800.
First, from LT:
We’ve been hearing some very persistent howls of what I believe are coyotes. We’re at 46th Ave SW and Erskine, and it’s quite loud. Just might be a good time to remind pet owners to keep animals indoors and just keep an eye out.
And from Dave:
Another reminder to be careful about your outdoor pets.
I live on the 3700 block of SW Webster Street, and sometime (Sunday) night a raccoon or coyote killed our next-door neighbor’s cat and left the remains in our backyard. It was a horrifying way to find out that your pet had been killed.
I’m sure our proximity to the Orchard Ravine green belt makes us more likely to see this sort of activity, and raccoons are always around. We haven’t seen a coyote around here, but it was something of size, because the scene was macabre.
EDITOR’S NOTE: The trial of Bryce Huber and Brandon Chaney, charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of Steve Bushaw, is the first West Seattle murder case to go to trial in three years. We covered the last one gavel-to-gavel and intend to do the same here. After two weeks of motions, logistics, and jury selection, the prosecution and defense both presented their opening statements today, and then the prosecution began calling witnesses. Our story tonight covers the opening statements, with witness notes to come.
By Katie Meyer
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
Veteran prosecutor Jeffrey Baird delivered the first opening statement. He began by noting the date of the deadly shooting:
“February 1st, 2009. Sunday. It was Super Bowl Sunday, the Steelers played the Cardinals, and millions watched. Two and a half years ago, after the Super Bowl, something happened in our community that was witnessed by only a few people. A young man was shot to death. The young man’s name was Steve Bushaw. He was raised in West Seattle, he’d gone to West Seattle High School. At the time of his death, he was still living with his parents in West Seattle. And he was shot to death right in the heart of West Seattle, in what locals call ‘The Junction” …
“Mr. Bushaw’s death was not an accident – he was not hit by a stray round. He was gunned down in the middle of the street, not by one but two men, both firing repeatedly at him from close range. This was not a case of self-defense. He was not armed, and did nothing to provoke them. He had never met them. This was not case of sudden rage. He’d done nothing to provoke it. It wasn’t a case of mistaken identity. He was deliberately targeted, with considerable planning and forethought.”
Baird then told the jury what sort of evidence they would be presented with, and how he believes it will tell the story, step by step.
It seems to always happen this way – no matter how optimistic a restaurateur is about getting a new place open fast, it takes longer than expected. For those who have been e-mailing to ask what’s up with the plan for Pan Africa Grill to open in the ex-Ho-Win north of Morgan Junction, that’s exactly what’s going on. Three months have passed since we first told you about Mulugeta Abade‘s plan to bring something here that’s similar to his successful Pan Africa Restaurant and Bar at Pike Place Market; at that time, he had said he hoped to be open within one month. WSB contributor Bill “Hutch” Hutchison, who talked with “Mulu” for the original story, checked back with him this week. Yes, the plan is still moving ahead, but there are still a few weeks of work left. Mulu told Hutch, “We ran into some delays as these types of projects always do. I have the old Ho Win sign down and will be putting up our new one, hopefully by next week. We are aiming for Labor Day weekend to open at this point, and are excited to meet our new West Seattle neighbors.”
(WEDNESDAY NOTE: We’ve received several more photos from Night Out parties, and have added them to this report, which now includes scenes from 18 parties!)
6:11 PM: At some West Seattle “Night Out” block parties tonight, it’ll be as much carnival atmosphere as anything else – the folks at 32nd and Kenyon shared that photo of the bouncy house awaiting neighborhood kids. In Upper Fauntleroy, the block party we’ll be missing while out covering others already has one young attendee in place:
That’s Colin, who’s 9. We’re in Gatewood right now, as of 6:10 pm, and heading to as many stops as we can make before 9 pm (let us know if your party’s running late – we found one last year after dark).:
That’s the first of two Gatewood parties we’re stopping by – 97-year-old Louise is the star of the show; she’s lived on the block since the ’40s. Thanks to Holly for letting us know about the party in Louise’s ‘hood.
6:21 PM: A few blocks southwest of Louise and company, this jovial Gatewood group is barbecuing:
Thanks to Jill for the invite.
6:29 PM: Heading east into Westwood, a few adjacent blocks have so many parties, Kelly e-mailed to tell us they’re offering “passports” to encourage people to visit them all and meet more neighbors. Here’s Denise, who came up with the passport idea:
6:49 PM: Scenes from three of the parties in Kelly and Denise’s neighborhood:
More to come – South Delridge/Highland Park next!
7:01 PM: Marcia Ventura invited us via Facebook to stop by the 9000 block of 13th SW:
We didn’t realize that there we would also find local artist/belly dancer Dina Lydia Johnson – who made the sign in the photo (and is also a photographer – she took a group shot right before ours) – and her fellow community advocate husband Blair Johnson, as well as more of their neighbors. Next stop – High Point Community Center.
7:20 PM: Turns out the HPCC party is more a series of small gatherings elsewhere in High Point. We’re now en route to the HQ of the West Seattle Blockwatch Captains Network, in Hansen View, near Providence Mount St. Vincent (WSB sponsor). But we do have a new photo, e-mailed from Alki by Lisa Dawson:
7:39 PM: As we head toward Pigeon Point, photos from the WSBWCN leaders’ block:
Biggest crowd we’ve seen so far – they had 80 people last year and think they’re close to that this time. They had a high-level SPD visitor too – Assistant Chief Dick Reed, with WSBWCN’s Deb Greer and Karen Berge, and neighbor Jim:
8:08 PM: At the Pigeon Point party, Pete Spalding told us they’d already had a visit from Assistant Chief Reed – as well as precinct commander Capt. Steve Paulsen. And Seattle Fire Department made its annual stop at that high-profile party – here’s the Engine 36 crew from just down the hill at the north end of Delridge:
The kids of Pigeon Point were creating street art:
And the grownups were nominating neighbors for a new “garden recognition” award to be named after the late Vivian McLean, a neighborhood giant known for (among many other things) her beautiful garden:
Visiting from nearby Puget Ridge at the center of the photo, by the way, that’s Stu Hennessey of Alki Bike and Board and Sustainable West Seattle (seen recently atop the award-winning Trikeceratops in the West Seattle Grand Parade). Pete pointed out that West Seattle Nursery donated the plant atop the nomination table.
We’re in North Delridge now – but first, Cheryl shares a photo from her block party in Fauntlee Hills:
8:36 PM: From the North Delridge party, more Seattle firefighters meeting neighbors:
And we’re now in Seaview, where SPD Community Police Team Officers Kevin McDaniel and Ken Mazzuca are visiting a party (photo added 8:54):
Thanks to Alison for the invite. We then rolled over to South Admiral – where the block party we were going to check out was packing up – does happen by this time of night. We found some night owls in Fairmount Springs last year and are going to head that way before wrapping up the Night Out 2011 journey. We’d still welcome your photos, too, as we’re likely to have one more roundup tonight or tomorrow. (editor@westseattleblog.com)
ADDED WEDNESDAY MORNING: Decided to add the additional pix here. First, from Barbara, in the 8800 block of 38th Ave SW, where Ladder 11 stopped by:
In the Admiral District, Kendall shared a photo from their party *at* a fire station (29):
From Cinda on 42nd SW in Gatewood (where she says the second photo shows neighborhood kids writing “42ND ROX”):
Next one is from Seaview, where Karl reports a great turnout in the “48th Avenue corridor from Hudson to Brandon”:
From 52nd/Stevens, BD shares this photo of “one of the dads, doling out s’mores at the Night Out party. We were all about the fire and s’mores over here”:
Still a few more to come!
A Seattle Parks postcard announcing the next public meeting for the Highland Park wading pool-to-spraypark conversion just arrived – and caused us to do a doubletake. The meeting on Tuesday, August 23, is listed as happening, not in a room somewhere, but at the actual site, 1100 SW Cloverdale (map). That’s fairly rare – so we called project manager Kelly Goold to make sure that wasn’t a typo. Nope, says Kelly, the meeting is indeed AT the site, so attendees can better envision the design concepts that will be presented. So mark your calendar for 6:30 pm August 23rd (here’s our coverage of the first project meeting).
(Photo by Glenn Gauthier)
One more Blue Angels note, besides today’s team arrival: South Seattle Community College math instructor Heidi Lyman has taken that Blue Angels ridealong we previewed here last week – and SSCC’s Candace Oehler says Heidi reported shouting at 17,000 feet, “START HERE, GO ANYWHERE!” (That would be the SSCC motto.) She also reported pulling 7.4 g’s in one maneuver with U.S. Navy Lt. Dave Tickle in #7, says Candace, who accompanied Heidi to Boeing Field/Museum of Flight.
And as also previewed here, we’ve had the first Seafair Navy fleet sightings off West Seattle shores:
Via the WSB Facebook page, Russ Walker shared that photo of the USS Bonhomme Richard arriving in Elliott Bay this afternoon. No, it’s not an aircraft carrier, as some have called it – it’s an amphibious-assault ship. The guided-missile destroyer USS Sampson is here too. You’ll see them, and the other visiting ships – plus aircraft flyovers – in the Parade of Ships tomorrow afternoon, starting around 1:45; tours are Thursday-Sunday.
Once again this summer, two outdoor concert series are serenading our peninsula. The Admiral Neighborhood Association‘s Summer Concerts at Hiawatha are entering their second week, with Massy Ferguson (above, in WSB video from West Seattle Summer Fest 2010) performing this Thursday night, 6:30 pm, on the east lawn at Hiawatha Community Center (2700 California SW, but the concert zone faces Walnut, to the east). Then on Friday, it’s the first of four shows – like Admiral, free! – for this year’s edition of the Providence Mount St. Vincent (WSB sponsor) summer concert series:
That’s a 2010 clip of the Haggis Brothers, who were in the West Seattle Grand Parade a week and a half ago. They’ll take the stage on the south side of The Mount (4831 35th SW) at 6 pm this Friday night. Popcorn and snow cones are free; starting at 5:30 pm, you can buy dinner, beer, and/or wine. For both concert series, bring your own chair/blanket.
(Top photo by Ilona Berzups, added 3:06 pm; WSB video below, added 11:23 am)
11:15 AM: The unmistakable roar you might have heard was indeed that of the Blue Angels, who are now all here for Seafair 2011 – just landed, right on schedule. We’re at Boeing Field and will add visuals shortly.
ADDED 11:23 AM: Our video of the Boeing Field flyby is up – we’re just south of the tower, along East Marginal Way, one of the places to watch them take off (and land) if you can’t make it to the Museum of Flight – which for Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday is THE place to be. Here are some of the gotta-see-it people who came to watch the arrival:
(WSB photo above, added 11:48 am; photo below by David DeSiga, added 3:11 pm)
ADDED 11:48 AM: Half an hour after the rest of the team, Fat Albert – the Blue Angels’ beloved support plane – just arrived. The official Blue Angels shows are Friday-Sunday (Friday, you can get to the shores of Lake Washington by the hydro pits to watch for free; Saturday-Sunday, admission is charged) but you’ll also see them practicing Thursday, and more ridealongs tomorrow. When they’re not in the air, you can see them parked on the south side of the Museum of Flight (which offers special activities/hours for Blue Angels Week this time each year).
9:33 AM: We’ve received multiple reports of Comcast trouble this morning – from Admiral to Arbor Heights (we’ve also heard so far from Alki and Lincoln Park). The cable company confirms it is doing maintenance/upgrade work in West Seattle, and if you’re having cable/Internet trouble, that’s likely the problem; we’re still checking to see if there’s an estimate for how long this will last.
10:41 AM UPDATE: Comcast spokesperson Steve Kipp says everyone should be back on now: “The outage to our high-speed Internet service was due to network maintenance and upgrade work we were doing last night. Normally, this work takes place overnight, when it impacts the fewest number of customers. Unfortunately, in this instance our network engineers took longer than expected and did not complete their work until about 10:15 a.m., when service was restored. The outage impacted customers primarily in West Seattle.”
From the WSB West Seattle Events calendar:
(2011 photo of Greg’s 1939 Ford in front of similar-vintage ex-Fire Station 37)
HEARING ON SALE OF FORMER FIRE STATION 37: Next step toward selling the landmark ex-fire station at 35th/Othello is this morning’s public hearing before the City Council’s Budget Committee, which meets at City Hall at 9:30 am (you can watch live on cable channel 21 or seattlechannel.org).
BLUE ANGELS! One arrived yesterday; the rest are expected at Boeing Field/Museum of Flight around 11:15 this morning (if there’s a significant change in that time, we’ll update here as well as via Facebook and Twitter.) Full Seafair Air Show details are here.
FLEET ARRIVALS: The Seafair fleet Parade of Ships isn’t till tomorrow, but as reported here over the weekend, two of the U.S. Navy ships are expected to arrive today – the USS Bonhomme Richard and USS Sampson are due in Elliott Bay before 2 pm. Ship tours are Thursday-Sunday.
NIGHT OUT! Even if you’re not having a block party, if you’re out and about in West Seattle between 6 and 9 pm tonight, you’re likely to spot someone who is – and there will be plenty of non-arterial street closures, too, so please drive very carefully. If you are having a block party, you can still register it with the city if you do it by 10 am today – go here! Or join the parties at High Point and South Park Community Centers. (You’re also invited to a South Park party at 800 South Thistle with a mini-golf theme and a mayoral visit.)
WEST SEATTLE ULTIMATE FRISBEE: You’re invited to join in, every Tuesday night, 6:30-8:30 pm, Fairmount Playfield.
STORY TIME: Family Story Time at the Seattle Public Library’s Delridge branch, Tuesdays at 7 pm.
TRIVIA TIME: 8 pm Tuesday nights, show off your knowledge at Feedback Lounge (WSB sponsor).
Father James Mallahan, well-regarded as Holy Rosary‘s pastor from 1981 to 1987, will be remembered at the church with a Vigil Mass tonight at 7 and Funeral Mass on Wednesday at 11 am. He died last Friday at age 83. Holy Rosary School has long had an endowment fund in his name. Fr. Mallahan’s obituary is here; an online guestbook is here. (Thanks to Michael for sharing the news.)
Remember the July 5 saga of Patrick Abdo rescuing a baby raccoon stuck in his Morgan Junction-area fence? That was the 2nd-most-popular WSB story in July, which we are proud to announce was a record-setting month- 974,110 pageviews, up from the 961K+ record set in June, and a 25 percent increase over July of last year. This summertime readership jump is a new trend, as previous WSB records tended to result from snow!
Since most WSB stories can be seen without clicking away to another page, gauging story popularity from our Google Analytics stats is more art than science – but stories like the raccoon rescue, viewed on a standalone page as people add and read comments, or shared via Facebook, break away from the pack. The month’s #1 story appeared here just last week, inspired by an unexpected line in one of the SPD Blotter‘s relatively routine roundups of traffic patrols: A bicyclist stopped on the Admiral Way hill for going 42 mph. 
After we noticed it and followed up on it, citywide media picked it up too. Other July highlights: We were first to report on the plan for the now-iconic SBX (right) to take a short jaunt out into Elliott Bay so the drillship Kulluk could join it at Vigor Shipyards on Harbor Island; its trip drew scores of photographers to the shore, and some shared their work here.
July brought another set of numbers that we’re proud of: Community-event sponsorships! WSB co-sponsored as well as covered West Seattle Summer Fest, 
the West Seattle Grand Parade, the West Seattle Garden Tour, the Alki Art Fair (photo at left), WestSide Baby‘s Stuff the Bus diaper drive, plus the ongoing West Seattle Outdoor Movies (“Despicable Me” this week!) and Summer Concerts at Hiawatha series (Massy Ferguson this week!), and the West Seattle In Motion campaign.
Finally, thank you so much for your support of OUR sponsors – the local businesses and organizations who advertise on WSB because they want to make sure you know who they are, where they are, what they offer. Please let them know you appreciate their support for 24/7 community-collaborative news/information on WSB. Besides their ads in the sidebar, you’ll find them all listed, categorized by type of business, with web/Facebook links and other info, on our SPONSORS! page. Here’s to a great August!
| 30 COMMENTS