You be the judge: WSHS marketing club adviser seeks volunteers

| Comments Off on You be the judge: WSHS marketing club adviser seeks volunteers

| How to help | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

Just out of the WSB inbox — WSB’ers stepped up to help with this type of judging before, and those who participated reported having a great time (here’s the report we published in May):

* Michelle Sloan, the DECA Club Adviser at West Seattle High School, is searching for judges for Automotive Marketing competition at the DECA Regional Competitions on Tuesday, January 12th, at the Meydenbauer Center in Bellevue, 9 am – 4 pm.

* Anyone with ANY Marketing experience will be great!

* We will need the names of any “possibles” (ASAP), as we’d like to have our final list organized before the holidays (no one wants to commit to anything the first week in January!)

DECA Marketing Regional Competition
* Tuesday, January 12, 2010
* 9 am – 1 pm
* Meydenbauer Center, Bellevue, WA

Benefits of participating?
* Supporting the DECA Marketing students at WSHS and the region!
* Free lunch!
* Free coffee!
* Networking with hundreds of other DECA judges from the state of Washington!

Thank you so much for your help!

Interested judges may contact Michelle Sloan, masloan@seattleschools.org, or mmtonkin@seattleschools.org, for more information!

Share This

West Seattle Crime Watch: South Delridge & vicinity’s newest stats

| Comments Off on West Seattle Crime Watch: South Delridge & vicinity’s newest stats

| Crime | Delridge | West Seattle news | White Center

If you haven’t seen it on partner site White Center Now already – here’s the link to the story we published this morning from last night’s South Delridge/White Center Community Safety Coalition meeting, including the monthly crime stats from the area, and farewell to the group’s last paid staffer.

Share This

What’s ahead for Washington State Ferries’ winter schedule

December 11, 2009 9:49 am

| Comments Off on What’s ahead for Washington State Ferries’ winter schedule

| Transportation | West Seattle news

Washington State Ferries is out with its winter schedule notes, though the schedule itself doesn’t kick in till two days after New Year’s Day. Read on:Read More

Share This

Today/tonight: SSCC wine sale, OLG tree, Hanukkah

December 11, 2009 7:10 am

| Comments Off on Today/tonight: SSCC wine sale, OLG tree, Hanukkah

| Fun stuff to do | Holidays | West Seattle news

SOUTH SEATTLE COMMUNITY COLLEGE WINE SALE: 4-8 pm today and noon-4 pm tomorrow, the Northwest Wine Academy at South Seattle Community College (WSB sponsor) offers another of its popular wine-tasting/sale events, with all their wine on sale at a 20 percent discount. More info here.

OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE TREE LIGHTING: 7 pm tonight at 35th/Myrtle, the highest point in Seattle, gather around the Our Lady of Guadalupe tree to see its 1,000 lights come on, and to join in Christmas carols. More here.

HANUKKAH: The eight-night Jewish Festival of Lights begins at sundown tonight. Here’s a guide to regional celebrations, from our partners at the Seattle Times.

Share This

Last call for vendors: Southwest Community Center holiday bazaar

December 11, 2009 3:51 am

| Comments Off on Last call for vendors: Southwest Community Center holiday bazaar

| Holidays | West Seattle news | Westwood

Got something to sell that holiday bazaar shoppers might be interested in? The Southwest Community Center Holiday Bazaar tomorrow (Saturday) still has room for more vendors, Lisa tells us. $15 for one table, $20 for two, and the fees go to SWCC youth programs. Call 206-684-7638. Even if you’re not interested in selling, there’ll be entertainment and food along with craft activities for kids, 9 am-4 pm Saturday.

Share This

Helping officers’ families: Papa John’s tally $126,000; 1 more event

December 11, 2009 3:50 am

| 4 COMMENTS

| How to help | West Seattle news

The Tuesday and Wednesday donation of profits from all regional Papa John’s Pizza tallies hit six figures, according to our partners at the Seattle Times – they say the company announced the total donation would surpass $126,000, after huge demand at the 40-plus participating stores (including West Seattle, photographed above on Tuesday night). As reported here Wednesday night, that night’s Merrill Gardens (WSB sponsor) fundraising pasta dinner raised $1,500 between the 2 West Seattle locations (haven’t heard yet about the rest of the chain). And you have another chance to show your support for the Lakewood officers’ families without leaving West Seattle – this Saturday, 9 am-5 pm, West Seattle Tiger Scouts plan to set up a table outside the Holy Rosary Tree Lot at California/Lander (map) to collect donations and also get signatures on a big card for the families.

Share This

Followup: After 2 crashes, safety upgrades in works for Westwood

December 10, 2009 11:34 pm

| 7 COMMENTS

| Safety | Transportation | West Seattle news | Westwood

It’s one of West Seattle’s most heartstopping intersections to maneuver as a pedestrian – and it’s in an area that’s seen two major car-hits-pedestrian crashes in less than two years, one fatal, another resulting in major injuries. But the 26th/Barton intersection at Westwood Village’s main entrance/exit is about to get some attention, according to SDOT’s Jim Curtin (a West Seattleite), who came out this afternoon to meet with (from left, with Curtin 2nd from left) Donn DeVore of the Westwood Neighborhood Council; Stuart Crandall of Westwood Village, and Ron Angeles, district coordinator in the Department of Neighborhoods‘ Delridge office:

Problems at the intersection were thoroughly discussed in this WSB comment thread following the December 1st crash that left a woman in the hospital, badly hurt. Curtin says some improvements are in the works and will be installed as soon as next month – including “fanning” the crosswalk striping to cover the 16-inch gap between the driveway and the crosswalk here on the west side of the WWV driveway:

Signage also will be upgraded from the current old-style flat orange to the new-style fluorescent lime green:

And yield-to-pedestrian reminder signs may be hung from the overhead cables:

But you won’t see left-turn arrows – Curtin says that wouldn’t solve the problem. You will see the road striping change within the next two years – not to add a striped right-turn lane heading west on Barton into the center, which DeVore asked about, though – Curtin says that the Bicycle Master Plan calls for a bike lane on each side of Barton in that area, so when that happens, the “one (car) lane in each direction” will be a lot clearer than it is now. The work’s not going to happen next year, he says, but is a possibility for 2011. That’s also when Metro RapidRide service is scheduled to begin, and a station is reportedly planned on the south side of Barton near Daystar Retirement Village. “So how do we slow down traffic till then?” DeVore asked. Curtin suggested it’s time to get this stretch of road involved in the Arterial Traffic Calming Program – which would mean gathering some data, for starters, about the speeds and other conditions on that stretch of Barton, as a first step.

Share This

West Seattle scenes: Holiday Art Walk, Chamber party

December 10, 2009 10:16 pm

| 4 COMMENTS

| Holidays | West Seattle Art Walk | West Seattle news | West Seattle people

At Twilight Artist Collective, proprietors Mary, Erin and Allison celebrated “ugly sweater night” along with West Seattle Art Walk night. That’s one of 10 photos we’re sharing on a night that also saw the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce celebrate the season – read on for the quick tour:Read More

Share This

West Seattle Christmas lights: Shining bright in Fauntlee Hills

December 10, 2009 8:56 pm

| Comments Off on West Seattle Christmas lights: Shining bright in Fauntlee Hills

| Holidays | West Seattle Christmas lights | West Seattle news

Thanks to Cheryl for the reminder that south West Seattle has its own version of Candy Cane Lane in the heart of Fauntlee Hills. Particularly SW Concord north of 41st SW (map), where we photographed this house (just one of many shining examples in the area). Just turn off SW Barton, left if you’re coming uphill from the ferry dock, right if you’re coming downhill from 35th/Westwood Village. (Our archives of previously featured light displays can be found here, newest to oldest.)

Share This

Newest design proposal online for 2988 SW Avalon Way project

December 10, 2009 7:38 pm

| Comments Off on Newest design proposal online for 2988 SW Avalon Way project

| Development | West Seattle news

Those are the “now” and “future” views of the northwestern corner of Avalon Way/SW Yancy (map), from the plan that’ll be reviewed one week from tonight by the Southwest Design Review Board for 2988 Avalon – a new 4-story, 16-unit building for Transitional Resources. The full packet of renderings and plans has just been added to the city Design Review website; download it here (big PDF – 23 MB). This is the first of two projects on a double bill for the board next Thursday night – this one’s at 6:30, with Admiral Safeway at 8, both reviews at Youngstown Arts Center.

Share This

Mayor’s first round of “cabinet decisions”; plus, a WS tie in Olympia

December 10, 2009 5:39 pm

| Comments Off on Mayor’s first round of “cabinet decisions”; plus, a WS tie in Olympia

| West Seattle news | West Seattle politics

Just published at the transition website: The department heads who are staying include Stella Chao from Neighborhoods and Diane Sugimura for Planning and Development, plus West Seattleite Bill Schrier from Information Technology. Will Grace Crunican (also a West Seattleite) keep her job running Transportation? No announcement today; the McGinn team says more decisions will be announced next week. ADDED 5:44 PM: A state appointment to note tonight too – Governor Gregoire announced a new communications director today, J. Cory Curtis, and we just got word that Curtis is a West Seattleite.

Share This

West Seattle Weather Watch: Another icy night ahead

December 10, 2009 4:40 pm

| 10 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle weather

No, that’s not an interpretation of how upset people are down in Southern California since a cold snap plunged them into the … 30s. That’s a palm tree near Alki Point’s Constellation Park, next to a frozen-in-place fountain, photo shared by Lisa. The latest forecast? Here you go – still a possibility of snow starting tomorrow night – “light” snow, then followed by a mention of snow possibilities in every daypart through Monday. Meantime, tonight’s expected to go down into the teens yet again.

Share This

West Seattle Art Walk holiday edition tonight: What to see

December 10, 2009 3:21 pm

| Comments Off on West Seattle Art Walk holiday edition tonight: What to see

| West Seattle Art Walk | West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

Don’t let the continued chill keep you from wandering West Seattle for tonight’s monthly Art Walk, 6-9 pm. This is the super-special late edition, including myriad chances for one-of-a-kind holiday gifts, all over the peninsula. Click ahead for a few of the MANY highlights:Read More

Share This

Update: Stolen West Seattle totem pole recovered – in Oregon

December 10, 2009 10:29 am

| 84 COMMENTS

| Crime | Rotary Club of West Seattle | West Seattle history | West Seattle news

(scroll down – we’re continuing to add elements as this story develops)

(Photo added 11:05 am – the recovered poles in Oregon)
As reported here late yesterday, police arrested a West Seattle man in connection with the theft of the 18′ totem pole from Rotary Viewpoint Park, which we first told you about last Thursday morning. When we reported that the suspect was in custody, police had just made the arrest and hadn’t yet figured out where the stolen pole was; this morning, they know. Southwest Precinct Lt. Steve Paulsen tells WSB that after extensive questioning, the suspect told them where it was: The Salem, Oregon, area. And Lt. Paulsen says police there already “have it in custody on a trailer in an impound lot” – he says it’s reported to be in good shape and does not appear to be damaged. Now they’re coordinating with the Parks Department to figure out how and when to bring it back here. Plus, Lt. Paulsen says, they “recovered another totem pole but can’t figure out where the other one belongs yet.” They also will be investigating whether the suspect is in possession of any other stolen property. We’re not identifying the suspect yet because (to our knowledge) charges are not yet filed – we can tell you he is a 69-year-old North Admiral resident, and the house where the crane driver said last weekend that he’d dropped it off is in the Lake Sawyer area. We didn’t publish this last weekend because no arrest had been made, but here’s a photo we took as the two sleuthing Rotarians (left and right) and the crane-truck driver went to knock on that house’s door last Saturday – note the Santa hat, left over from the Rotary’s Christmas Shopping Spree hours earlier:

Stay tuned for more followups. The Rotary Club of West Seattle, meantime, which donated the park and the pole to the city in 1976 – and made its own inquiries to try to help track down the pole (as detailed here) – tells us they’re working on coordinating an event for the pole’s return. 11:07 AM UPDATE: Adding photos provided by police (one above, one below), showing the recovered Rotary pole (and its mystery companion) in Oregon.

12:06 PM UPDATE: Just checked with Parks spokesperson Dewey Potter to see if there’s any info yet on their side regarding plans for the pole’s return. She says, “It’s my understanding that the pole will be in police custody as evidence for some amount of time (no clue yet how long that will be). … We’re all for a celebratory event to welcome the pole back to the people when the time is right.” 12:28 PM UPDATE: For the latest on Rotary’s plans on helping that happen, we just talked to past president Josh Sutton on camera at the viewpoint park – he explains how your help will be important:

(The website he mentions is westseattlerotary.org.) He added, “Rotary’s owned this totem pole in our hearts for a long time, but West Seattle owns this totem pole and we’re committed to getting it back to the folks of West Seattle in great shape.”

1:41 PM UPDATE: Just drove by the park and spotted Rotary sleuths Duane and Kenny being interviewed by KING5 – we didn’t park in time to get the photo op but did talk to Duane, who says he’s glad that Seattle Police have gone to great lengths to find the totem pole, and he’s now hopeful that prosecutors will go the extra mile to make sure justice is served. And one more note – just talked again with Josh Sutton, who says you can NOW donate through the Rotary website to pay for getting the pole back in place, with a community event, as soon as possible – he wants to stress, this is NOT meant to be in lieu of restitution from the suspect, but if and when the time comes that they get reimbursed that way, the money people have donated “will go to do good work in the West Seattle community.”

2:25 PM UPDATE: Answers to a couple followup questions we asked Lt. Paulsen at Southwest Precinct: 1. Will the crane truck driver face charges? Nothing’s final yet, but he notes that they are being very cooperative witnesses. 2. Is there a chance the stolen Tillicum Village storefront art work on Avalon (here’s our story from two months ago) is linked to all this? Too soon to say but Lt. Paulsen indicates they are actively investigating and more “recoveries” are possible.

Share This

West Seattle Crime Watch: Truck break-in, tools taken

December 10, 2009 9:57 am

| 11 COMMENTS

| Crime | West Seattle news

Out of the WSB inbox (editor@westseattleblog.com), from Erin:

My husband went out to his work van at 4 am to find the driver side window smashed and close to $8000 worth of tools and wire stolen. We live in the 5600 block of 18th Ave [map]. The scum must have gotten spooked as the left a radio, tool bags and wire sitting in front of the van. We have already made a police report, but are hoping someone may have seen something.

The officer told us it’s been quiet in our neighborhood for a while. This is devastating as the tools are how my husband makes a living, and were paid for out of our pockets. If anyone saw or heard anything, we would really like to know.

I know what people will say: You are never supposed to leave anything visible in your vehicle. We never leave anything visible in our personal vehicles, but it is impossible to empty the work van every day and reload it at 3:30 a.m. He parks it so the side doors face the house, but it wasn’t enough to deter the criminals this time.

Share This

Today/tonight: Preschool open house, crime/safety meeting, more

December 10, 2009 5:31 am

| Comments Off on Today/tonight: Preschool open house, crime/safety meeting, more

| Safety | West Seattle news | White Center

The big event tonight is the holiday edition of the West Seattle Art Walk, 6-9 pm, at venues all over the peninsula – check the official site for more, get a map here, and watch for our preview of highlights later this morning. Also happening today/tonight:

ADMIRAL CO-OP PRESCHOOL OPEN HOUSE: 9:30-10:30 am today – they have openings in the 3’s class. More info including location in this WSB Forums post.

SOUTH DELRIDGE CRIME/SAFETY MEETING: The South Delridge/White Center Community Safety Coalition is meeting tonight at 6 pm, at a different location than usual – Wiley Center at Greenbridge, 9800 8th SW, Room 104 (map).

‘PLAID TIDINGS’ CONTINUES: The holiday musical extravaganza presented by ArtsWest (WSB sponsor) is now into its second week. This week, in addition to the evening performances tonight through Saturday at 7:30 pm, there are two weekend matinees – Saturday and Sunday at 3 pm. Tickets are available online.

Share This

West Seattle Holidays: Our Lady of Guadalupe tree lighting Friday

December 10, 2009 3:01 am

| Comments Off on West Seattle Holidays: Our Lady of Guadalupe tree lighting Friday

| Fun stuff to do | Holidays | West Seattle news

Seems like deja vu … There’s a chance of snow in the forecast late Friday, which also happens to be the night Our Lady of Guadalupe lights “Seattle’s highest Christmas tree” (2008 photo at left, shared by Celeste), a stone’s throw from the city’s highest point (520′). And last year, exact same night, exact same forecast – though the snow didn’t arrive in earnest till the following night (here’s your 12/13/08 flashback, video and all). But never mind all that! The tree lighting is on for 7 pm Friday, right outside the church at the southeast corner of 35th/Myrtle, around the big old evergreen that’s already got about a thousand lights ready to go, with caroling immediately afterward. A bit more info from the church’s official announcement:

This event also celebrates the effort from Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish and School to give back to the Seattle community. Everyone is encouraged to bring non-perishable food items to be donated to the St. Vincent DePaul Society, a non-profit organization that provides food and support services to those in need. The food items will be distributed to our local food banks, which are busier than ever in our tight economy. Guests will be invited to warm up in our Parish Hall after the tree lighting to enjoy complimentary refreshments and participate in Christmas activities for children.

Promises to be another beautiful night to light a tree (like last Saturday in The Junction); in case you’ve never been to OLG, here’s a map.

Share This

“Banded” crow rescued at Forest Lawn – but whose crow is it?

December 10, 2009 2:17 am

| 40 COMMENTS

| High Point | Pets | West Seattle news

This one’s a little too unusual to just go on the WSB Pets page with all the other lost/found critters … Jeff Jorgenson at Forest Lawn Cemetery (east edge of High Point) shared that photo, explaining, “I think it is an African pied crow. It is banded and has clipped wings and is very friendly and loves to hang out on shoulders. We found it this morning next to the flagpole nearly frozen. It’s pretty certain that it wouldn’t have made it through the night.” If you have any idea whose crow this is, 206-932-0050 is Jeff’s office number.

Share This

West Seattle scenes: Warm welcomes on a cold night

December 9, 2009 9:57 pm

| Comments Off on West Seattle scenes: Warm welcomes on a cold night

| West Seattle news | West Seattle people

That sign greeted visitors at Merrill Gardens-Admiral Heights (WSB sponsor) tonight, where they served dozens at a pasta dinner with 100 percent of the proceeds going to the families of the murdered Lakewood police officers. Dessert treats too – chef Lisa Thompson showed off the cupcakes-in-progress when we peeked into the kitchen:

Both West Seattle Merrill Gardens (the other one is at 35th SW/Snoqualmie) participated in tonight’s fundraiser – just got word that the two together raised almost $1,500 – it came with this photo snapped by MG (all other photos in this story are by us) at the 35th SW location:

A bit further south, Animals First Foundation rallied supporters at the Feedback Lounge (WSB sponsor):

From left, that’s Jeremy, Stacy, Sara, Carina, Alysson, and Erin from AFF, which is an animal-advocacy group whose work is described here. Not far from the Feedback, we visited The Hall at Fauntleroy:

At the 34th District Democrats‘ holiday party tonight, that’s host Richard Bartlett raising a toast. We also spotted State Rep. Sharon Nelson, who finds out on Monday if she’ll get the interim County Council seat for District 8 (she sought it in case councilmembers decide to choose someone who won’t run for the permanent seat in a year, which the other 34th District legislator in the final four, State Sen. Joe McDermott, intends to do):

Other partiers included Dina Johnson, more often behind the lens, taking photos at events from Highland Park Action Committee meetings to regular 34th District Democrats gatherings:

What’s up tomorrow night? The biggest event: the West Seattle Art Walk, which includes special Shop Late festivities in The Junction. More on that coming up – and browse some of the highlighted artists on the WS Art Walk website.

Share This

BULLETIN: Police arrest suspect in West Seattle totem-pole theft

December 9, 2009 4:06 pm

| 41 COMMENTS

| Crime | Rotary Club of West Seattle | West Seattle history | West Seattle news

(WSB photo from December 2, the base where the totem pole used to be)
Just confirmed with Southwest Precinct Lt. Steve Paulsen: Police have arrested a suspect in the theft of the West Seattle Rotary Viewpoint Park totem pole. As first reported here Thursday morning, the pole disappeared early last week; we contacted the Parks Department on Wednesday after a WSB’er sent us a note saying her family noticed it was gone. After our inquiry, Parks did extensive checking, then verified on Thursday that no one had been authorized to take it, and so they reported the 18-foot totem pole – installed when the Rotary Club of West Seattle donated the park to the city in 1976 — as stolen. As the story unfolded, WSB commenters recalled seeing what turned out to be the actual removal Monday night of last week – the crane truck hired to take it got stuck in the grass and mud, and required help from a tow truck. We’re not identifying the suspect, a West Seattle man, as charges are not filed so far, but what we’ve been told seems to go along with the storyline reported here, after we covered Rotarians’ attempt to find out what happened. Police have not yet recovered the totem pole but are questioning the suspect and hope to be able to recover the pole soon. P.S. We had asked Parks and police earlier today if the totem pole had been assigned a dollar value, just out of curiosity – so far we don’t have a number, but Parks spokesperson Dewey Potter notes that the Belvidere story pole installed in 2006 was valued at more than $61,000. (Pre-theft totem-pole photo used with Rotary’s permission.)

Share This

West Seattle Weather Watch: More “snow” mentions in forecast

December 9, 2009 3:47 pm

| 8 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle weather

The National Weather Service is just out with a new forecast – featuring multiple mentions of the word “snow,” possibly even flurries tomorrow, after one more clear, very cold night tonight, though the major mention involves the weekend. What a coincidence – it was also Christmas ship weekend LAST year when Snowpocalypse ’08 began. (P.S. – As reported earlier, there’s a burn ban in effect, so no wood fires unless they’re your main source of heat.)

Share This

H1N1 flu vaccine: King County expands eligibility

December 9, 2009 3:15 pm

| 2 COMMENTS

| Health | Swine flu | West Seattle news

Another news release to share – just in from Seattle-King County Public Health – the shortage of H1N1 vaccine has eased and now they say anyone 6 months or older is eligible – read on for the full announcement:Read More

Share This

Want a share of $15 million? Parks Levy Opportunity Fund reminder

December 9, 2009 3:10 pm

| 3 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle parks

We’ve reported on this multiple times before but it’s so big, the Parks Department wants to make sure you don’t miss it: It’s time to start working on applications for a share of the $15 million Opportunity Fund created by the Parks and Green Spaces Levy voters approved last year. While the levy itself contained money for a variety of specific projects, this fund is set up so that community-initiated projects can get a share of the $. Read on for a just-out news release about the fund and the round of informational meetings next month, including the one announced for West Seattle:Read More

Share This