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West Seattle food: 1 store deli returns, 1 more on the way
October 17, 2011 3:11 pm
|      5 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

Story and photos by Keri DeTore
Reporting for West Seattle Blog

Two of West Seattle’s neighborhood mini-markets are expanding their offerings by installing delis.

First: The Alki Urban Market has brought back its deli, which shut down for a while in order to enlarge and reorganize the kitchen to be able to broaden the market’s offerings. Along with deli sandwiches featuring Boar’s Head meats and a veggie sandwich, the deli now offers hamburgers, hot dogs, and fried chicken.

Owner Thampipillai Thilakarajah says, “The community wanted the deli, and the landlord thought there should be a deli in the neighborhood.” All deli items are available for take-out by calling 206-913-2127 and menus are available at the Market. Deli hours are 12 pm-6 pm Monday-Friday, and 11 am-6 pm Saturday and Sunday.

Also adding a deli and continuing its evolution is the Juneau Street Market at California/Juneau (next to the new Pan Africa Grill), recently taken over by Sam Ibrahim (right), who purchased the newly renovated market from a relative. Sam is planning to move some counters and shelves around to make room for a seating area by the front windows, and add a deli counter that will serve sandwiches and hot foods, including gyros and chicken teriyaki. Permitting is underway and he hopes to get started within the next 30 days.

Another amenity that Sam is adding is that the Juneau Street Market will be a Western Union branch and will be able to transact money orders, transfers and bill paying. This should be ready to go sometime this week. Juneau Street Market hours are 9 am-10 pm Sunday through Thursday and 9 am-12 pm Friday and Saturday.

Both market owners stress that they are interested in serving their neighbors well and providing them with good food whenever they need it.

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High-school football: Sealth-WSHS game leading vote, so far!
October 17, 2011 2:31 pm
|    Comments Off on High-school football: Sealth-WSHS game leading vote, so far!
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle schools | WS & Sports

A potentially fun side note to this Friday night’s Huling Bowl crosstown matchup between the West Seattle High School and Chief Sealth International High School varsity football teams: As mentioned in last weekend’s football coverage, it’s a Channel 7 “Game of the Week” contender. You have till Thursday to vote in the online poll, which the local game is leading – for now – don’t get complacent!

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West Seattle coyotes: Dog owner reports ‘pack’ sighting
October 17, 2011 1:08 pm
|      21 COMMENTS
 |   Coyotes | West Seattle news | Wildlife

Webdoxie shares this from her friend Kathryn, who wanted to get the word out ASAP but apparently can’t access WSB at work. This happened around 47th/Othello, north of Lincoln Park (map).

Scared me to death this morning, there was a pack of coyotes running down the hill on 47th. I think there were 3 or 4, they were moving fast so it was hard to tell. The only reason I heard them was their nails on the pavement and a shadow of what looked like a dog (Gulliver didn’t make a sound). Gulliver and I had just stepped out so he could go potty. By the time I realized what it was, I couldn’t even get the door open, we were setting on the porch. I thought they were running for a meal and it was my little man. Thank goodness they went past and were probably going home. … I walked with my zapper this morning just in case they were still out there.

Webdoxie explains that Gulliver is a Min-Pin “who usually tries to be as scary as he can when he sees other dogs. His stillness is another indication that they were coyotes.” Being “scary” is good advice for people, too, according to experts, when you see one or more coyotes – scroll down this state infopage to “Too Close for Comfort” for specific actions to take.

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Viaduct-closure countdown: City traffic-center briefing
October 17, 2011 11:08 am
|      48 COMMENTS
 |   Alaskan Way Viaduct | Transportation | West Seattle news

We’re just out of the latest media briefing on the impending 9-day, 10-night Alaskan Way Viaduct closure. Remember, it starts at 7:30 pm Friday – so it will not affect the “regular” commute hours on Friday. This briefing included state, city, county, and port reps, and reiterated some of what you’ve heard before – but it was held in the SDOT Traffic Management Center, a screen-filled (but windowless) room on the 37th floor of the Municipal Tower, to highlight the technology that will help monitor and to some degree adjust the situation during the days of most closure-related concern – Monday through Friday next week (October 24-28). Key messages:

*Lots of info on the city’s Travelers Information Map (including the two new live-video West Seattle Bridge cams we reported back on Friday) as well as the traffic times you usually see on the overhead signboards

*All involved agencies will be conferring multiple times daily (the three “check-in” conference calls are scheduled for 7:15 am, 10:15 am, 5:15 pm) and they do intend to make adjustments where they can – signal timing on key corridors (they’ve just added Aurora), for example, and use of uniformed police officers at key intersections that might see major pressure (like the 1st Avenue South and 4th Avenue South intersections with Spokane along the WS Bridge).

When Q/A time came, we asked some specific questions that WSB’ers have been asking. For one, we asked for confirmation that Burlington Northern is going to reduce train activity along the route many people use to get to the “low bridge” during the afternoon commute – WSDOT’s Matt Preedy, who mentioned this at last week’s Admiral Neighborhood Association meeting (here’s our report), said it’s not a formal agreement, but that the railroad has agreed to do what it can. (Mayor McGinn, who was part of the briefing, gave props to SDOT leadership for getting a deal for the “low bridge” itself to avoid routine 3-6 pm openings those days too.)

We have more to add to this report when we are back at HQ, including video, if you’d like to see/hear exactly what was said. But first, a question we posed to WSB’ers on Facebook last night – what question(s), if any, do YOU still have regarding the closure, and how you’re going to get around? Please post a comment if you have one (or more). We’re working on a Q/A-style story and will incorporate yours – if it’s something that hasn’t been discussed/announced already, we’ll seek out the answer.

ADDED 1:20 PM: More information from today’s briefing. First – if you want to watch the whole thing, here’s a link to Seattle Channel video. We have a clip of Brian Kemper, the city traffic-tech manager who spoke, as he talked about how the different tech components work:

We also have two documents handed to media reps:
*The official news release, here
*A bullet-point handout, here

Talking to one of the traffic-management-center bosses afterward, we learned that they’re extending hours in the center during the closure, too – instead of being open 7 am to 6 pm, it’ll be 6 am-7 pm. (Weekdays.)

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Test drilling to start this week in the Lowman Beach area
October 17, 2011 9:31 am
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   Environment | Utilities | West Seattle news

Work crews are scheduled to be in the Lowman Beach area this week and next, doing work related to the county’s plan for a million-gallon storage tank to reduce sewer-system overflows into Puget Sound at Murray Pump Station. County spokesperson Annie Kolb-Nelson confirms drill rigs will be in the area to begin “geotechnical boring,” explaining: “Basically, a contractor will be drilling six small-diameter holes (about 6 inches) to test soil and groundwater conditions. Engineers will use the data to help design the facilities.” The six spots above show where they’re drilling. Here’s a flyer with full details – note there might be traffic effects in the area as the work proceeds over the next two weeks. Kolb-Nelson also confirms that one of the area’s property owners has accepted a purchase offer. The county has to buy the land (currently privately owned and residential) across from Lowman Beach Park, one way or another, to build the project (which is explained here), and could obtain it via “eminent domain” if necessary. More details about the project’s status are expected at a community meeting this Thursday, 6:30 pm in the hall at Fauntleroy Church (9140 California SW).

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West Seattle Monday: Roxhill Playground; CSOs; community…
October 17, 2011 8:37 am
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

(Water Taxi, with sunrise, by Paul Swortz, from the WSB Flickr group pool)
From the WSB West Seattle Events calendar:

COME SHOP AT THE SENIOR CENTER: Today, tomorrow, and Wednesday, the Senior Center West Seattle at 4217 S.W. Oregon St. invites you to a Bake Sale and “Open Market” with what they describe as “saleable items that are new, collectible, handcrafted, vintage, etc.: 10 am-3 pm.

BEYOND THE FRENCH FRY: West Seattle Cooking Club meets, Beveridge Place Pub, 2 pm. This week’s spotlight ingredient: Potatoes.

ROXHILL PLAYGROUND: Tonight at 6 at Southwest Library (35th/Henderson), the city presents the “schematic design” for renovating Roxhill Playground, more info here. What will replace the wooden castle? Here’s our coverage of the first meeting.

CONTROLLING SEWER OVERFLOWS – THIS TIME, THE CITY PLAN: This is different from the county’s planning process resulting in two “combined sewer overflow” projects planned for southern West Seattle. This time, it’s the Seattle Public Utilities “scoping meeting” for the Delridge area, where more than 3 million gallons of storage would be needed, the city says, to keep overflows from going into local waterways. Now they’re looking ahead to how to handle this. Youngstown Cultural Arts Center (4408 Delridge Way SW), 6:30-8:30 pm – more info at seattle.gov/CSO.

PROSPECTIVE GIRL SCOUT(S) IN THE FAMILY? The Girl Scouts are presenting a free family information night at Delridge Library (Brandon/Delridge) @ 6:30 pm. 425-614-1126

‘THE POWER OF COMMUNITY: Sustainable West Seattle invites you to the Admiral Theater (2343 California SW) tonight at 7 to watch “The Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil,” and, afterward, to talk about building community in West Seattle. $5 suggested donation.

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More Alki slide trouble ahead? Petition asks for city task force
October 17, 2011 2:50 am
|      19 COMMENTS
 |   Safety | West Seattle news | West Seattle weather

(Photo of Harbor SW slide, courtesy CondoManagements)
Petition signatures are being gathered right now to ask that the city take action on landslide risk along Alki and Harbor Avenues – with a concern that big problems could be ahead this fall and winter. It’s an outgrowth of discussion at the last meeting of the Alki Community Council, at which the problem was discussed, with a decision to create a committee, and now that group’s taking the problem to the city. A letter was drafted (see it here) – this excerpt explains what they’re asking of Mayor McGinn and City Council President Richard Conlin:

1. Establish a task force comprised of those agencies with responsibilities for surface water and hillside parkland (Seattle Public Utilities, Department of Transportation, Parks and Recreation, and Department of Planning and Development).

2. Charge the Task Force with developing a plan to mitigate the risk of slides on Alki and Harbor Avenues.

The plan to be developed would have three objectives: constructing an effective drainage system that allows surface and subsurface water flows to reach Puget Sound, protecting city property including streets and utilities, and protecting local residents from potential property damage and personal injury.

The petition that’s in circulation seeks signatures in support of that goal. You can sign the petition at either of these locations:

*Bubbles on Alki, 1619 Harbor SW (across from Seacrest), 6 am-6 pm weekdays, 8 am-6 pm
*CondoManagements, 1661 Harbor SW, 7:30 am-5:30 pm weekdays

Or, you can print a copy (here’s the PDF of the blank petition form) and sign it/collect signatures yourself, returning them to CondoManagements. Its owner Richard Vincent is chairing the landslide committee; he and property manager Nicole Sorensen are working to get the word out about the problem and the petition, and also hoping to hear from anyone else interested in, or with expertise in, this problem, if they’re not already involved. They’re at 206-937-4856. ACC’s liaison Jerry Smith can be reached at 206-933-8539.

(By the way, this topic also is on the Alki Community Council‘s agenda for this Thursday, 7 pm, at Alki UCC Church, Hinds/62nd.)

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Remembering Dr. Ed Kingston: Memorial Mass on Saturday
October 16, 2011 9:49 pm
|    Comments Off on Remembering Dr. Ed Kingston: Memorial Mass on Saturday
 |   How to help | West Seattle news | West Seattle people

Memorial plans are now set for Dr. Ed Kingston, the West Seattle volunteer soccer coach, husband, dad, and sports psychologist who died suddenly at age 38 last weekend. A family friend shared the announcement:

On Saturday, October 8, Ed Kingston died suddenly doing what he loved: spending time with his young son on a soccer field. A memorial Mass for Ed will be held on Saturday, October 22nd at 10 am at Holy Rosary Catholic Church in West Seattle (4202 SW Genesee; map). After Mass, all are welcome for a reception celebrating Ed’s life in Holy Rosary’s Lanigan Gym.

In lieu of flowers, a memorial fund for the family has been set up at Sound Community Bank. Contributions can be made at edkingston.com.

West Seattle Soccer Club, for whom Dr. Kingston served as a volunteer coach, has a memorial page, here.

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Video: You can call Sonya Elliott ‘author’ as well as ‘coach’
October 16, 2011 9:27 pm
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle people

A party at The Sanctuary at Admiral tonight, in honor of Sonya Elliott – who you might know best lately as West Seattle High School girls’ basketball coach, one of many hats she wears, along with athlete, model, writer, entrepreneur, and now – “published author.” Her book “Back on the Court” has just gone on sale. As described on her website, “Back on the Court” is a memoir of how she returned to “life, love, and basketball,” after surviving an accident that killed her fiancé. It’s a book that, as she describes here, has been more than a decade in the making. It’s available now; you can find it on Amazon, here.

During our visit to tonight’s party, we also asked Elliott for a look ahead to this year’s WSHS basketball season – you can see our video clip with her answer, here. But the season’s still a ways off. So, back to ‘Back on the Court’: You can meet Sonya Elliott at a book-signing party on November 3rd at The Cask in the Admiral District, 6-8 pm.

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West Seattle schools: Help Hope and SLHS ‘Light the Night’
October 16, 2011 8:31 pm
|    Comments Off on West Seattle schools: Help Hope and SLHS ‘Light the Night’
 |   How to help | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

That’s no overhead-projector screen with Hope Lutheran School teachers Julie Harley and Kevin Jones and a few of their first-grade students – that’s a “smartboard.” Hope Lutheran has three of them now and is hoping to raise enough money to put them in every classroom. That’s a key “fund-a-need” – along with scholarships – planned for Hope’s upcoming “Light the Night for Our Kids” auction/gala, collaboration with Seattle Lutheran High School. The evening starts at 4:30 pm November 11th with hors d’oeuvres and a silent auction at Hope, followed by dinner and a live auction at SLHS (emceed by Alex Meyer, an alum of both schools). And besides selling tickets, both schools also are currently looking to add to the lineup of donated items for the auction. A link to the donation form – plus more info about the big event – can be found here. To buy tickets, contact either school – Hope at 206-935-8500; SLHS at 206-937-7722.

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West Seattle Crime Watch: Vandals strike (at least) twice
October 16, 2011 6:59 pm
|      6 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | West Seattle news

2 reports tonight – both involving vandalism via eggs – and one involving other crimes too – read on for both:Read More

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Disaster drill ahead: Can you volunteer in West Seattle?
October 16, 2011 5:25 pm
|    Comments Off on Disaster drill ahead: Can you volunteer in West Seattle?
 |   How to help | Preparedness | West Seattle news

Can you spare a few hours to help make sure your neighborhood is ready for disaster, much as we all hope it’ll never happen? Volunteers are needed to help with the semi-annual Neighborhood Emergency Communications Hubs drill, conducted along with local ham-radio operators, 9 am-noon on Saturday, October 29th. This time, a very timely simulation: They’ll be pretending to deal with “a severe winter storm, code-named ‘Winds of Winter’,” says Cindi Barker, who you can contact if you can help out – even “just” as a “citizen actor” (other roles include message managers/intakers, greeters, radio operators). cbarker@qwest.net if you can help, or have questions.

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Photos: Fauntleroy Fall Festival 2011 takes the cake!
October 16, 2011 2:53 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   Fauntleroy | West Seattle festivals | West Seattle news

ORIGINAL 2:53 PM REPORT: Remember the invitation to decorate a cake for the Fauntleroy Fall Festival? Here are some of the entrants. The Cake Walk is at 3:30, if you haven’t made it to the festival yet – Fauntleroy Church, Y, and Schoolhouse, 9100 block of California SW, with a guard to get you back and forth safely:

In the church parking lot – activities including pumpkin-painting

Be sure to check out what’s behind the schoolhouse – including the ponies!

And meet some of the folks whose volunteer efforts keep the wheels turning – like board members from the Fauntleroy Community Association:

And West Seattle Hi-Yu Summer Festival leadership:

More photos to come, post-festival! The event schedule at fauntleroy.net – the festival is on right now, till 5:30 pm.

MORE PHOTOS ADDED SUNDAY NIGHT! Just ahead –Read More

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Video: First-ever ‘Beat the Burn’ benefit 5K run/walk on Alki
October 16, 2011 2:21 pm
|    Comments Off on Video: First-ever ‘Beat the Burn’ benefit 5K run/walk on Alki
 |   How to help | West Seattle news | WS & Sports

That’s how the first-ever “Beat the Burn” 5K run/walk began on Alki this morning. The siren you hear, right after the air horn, was from a Port of Seattle fire truck parked yards away – made sense, since the event raising money for the Northwest Burn Foundation was put on by the Port firefighters’ union, IAFF Local 1257. Among those on hand to cheer the 250-plus runners/walkers was Port Commissioner Gael Tarleton (photo center, in red and black):

Participants spanned a wide age range, with youth participating in the 5K though there was a kids’ dash scheduled afterward. Here are the first two finishers – announced as 14 and 57 years old!

Organizers noted the participants’ geographic diversity too – some from the East Coast (we heard a “Silver Springs, Maryland” finisher announcement go by) and, we were told, even a visitor from Croatia! If you missed the event, you can still help the NW Burn Foundation help burn patients … their online-donation link is here.

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More from the ‘in case you wondered’ files: Helicopter activity
October 16, 2011 1:23 pm
|      7 COMMENTS
 |   Helicopter | West Seattle news

If you’re in eastern West Seattle/South Park (or downtown) and noticing an unusual amount of helicopter traffic – a few people have asked about it – it’s a drill, and it’s scheduled to continue a few more hours. The explanation from the Seattle Fire Department:

Multiple Puget Sound public safety agencies are teaming up to practice a rooftop firefighting/rescue drill off a high rise skyscraper. The drill involves lowering firefighters and firefighting/rescue equipment from helicopters onto the roof of the 50-story Safeco Plaza Building in downtown Seattle.

The Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office Helicopter will lower 6 members of the High Rise Firefighting/Rescue Team onto the roof of the Safeco Plaza Building. King County Sheriff’s Office will fly their Guardian One helicopter over the operation in order to videotape and downlink a live feed of the operation that will be received at the Incident Command post at the City’s Joint Training Facility.

The exercises will demonstrate the ability of the Seattle Urban Areas Security Initiative (UASI) Regional Aviation partner organizations to work together. The participating partners will emphasize aviation safety in the air and on the ground.

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West Seattle dog owner’s warning about a little-known illness
October 16, 2011 11:04 am
|      19 COMMENTS
 |   Health | Pets | West Seattle news

Amy Greger‘s dog just spent two nights in the hospital, very sick from an illness she had never even heard of till now. She wanted to make sure other dog owners are aware of it – so she contacted news organizations, once Daisy was home and on the road to recovery. You may have seen her story on KING the other night; she shared it with WSB too:

Daisy is a 4-year-old Ridgeback-Lab mix from the Humane Society. She runs with “Papa” (~10-15 miles per week) and loves to play chuck-it. She is very mild-mannered and listens very well. Her normal weight is ~80 lbs.

Daisy went from a healthy active dog, became lethargic and stopped eating completely overnight. She lost 8 pounds in 6 days, and the vet was not able to identify the cause of the problem. We went to ACCES Renton to see an internal specialist. After ultrasounds and x-rays showed no clear answers, the specialist asked if there was a chance Daisy may have eaten any salmon. Turned out Daisy was given a small piece of raw salmon at home that fell on the floor almost 4 weeks ago. The doctor began treating her with IV antibiotics. The next day her lab result also confirmed she had salmon poisoning.

Salmon Poisoning is a (potentially) fatal condition for dogs (not human or other animals) caused by a microorganism found in salmon and other fish in the Pacific Ocean from Northern California to Seattle. Heat would kill the microorganism, but it can be in cold-smoked fish also.

Daisy spent 2 nights at the hospital. She started eating and is on the road to full recovery.

Here’s more information about this illness, including its symptoms, and a reiteration that only dogs are susceptible (not even cats). Thanks to Amy for sharing that link as well as her story, and this one too.

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Startling sounds in North Admiral early today: Fireworks
October 16, 2011 10:17 am
|      8 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle police

Lots of questions this morning about something that sounded like gunshots in North Admiral overnight – around 2:30 am, by most accounts. As we replied to several people, we know nobody GOT shot in this area overnight, but that’s as much as we know for sure. However, one WSB’er (who didn’t want her name used) reports:

I called 911 last night at 2:25 AM, Sunday morning, in the N. part of North Admiral Area because of what sounded like possible gunfire – 2 rounds of 2 “bangs” about 1 minute apart (startled me out of bed).

This morning, called Police Dept to follow up,.They said there were several calls about this and they believe it was attributed to “fireworks” thrown from a vehicle and that they “had a description of the vehicle” but that is all they would say.

We’ll let you know if we hear anything different. 11:24 AM NOTE: A comment’s just come in from a witness who was the original caller – fireworks for sure.

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West Seattle Sunday: Fauntleroy festival; Beat the Burn; more
October 16, 2011 8:04 am
|      5 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

(WSB photo from last week’s West Seattle Farmers’ Market)
From the WSB West Seattle Events calendar:

BEAT THE BURN 5K: New this year, a 5K run/walk, with kids’ dash, to raise money for burn victims. You can still be part of it if you get down to Alki right now – it starts at 9; details here.

‘GET A GREEN WORKOUT’: That’s the invitation from the Friends of Lincoln Park, 9 am to noon, removing invasive plants. Meet at the kiosk in the north parking lot (Fauntleroy Way SW and SW Rose St). Bring garden gloves and clipper, if you have them. Or they’ll have extras.

WEST SEATTLE FARMERS’ MARKET: 10 am-2 pm at 44th/Alaska in The Junction as always, with these highlights, according to a note this morning from market management:

Rockridge Orchards hosts wine sampling – just awarded “Rural Ag Business of the Year” from King County!
Greenwater is here with hardy KIWIS!
Music: Pasquale Santos
Kids: Roxbury Spine & Wellness Clinic
Tool Demo: Baking bread…in a box!

GET A CRUSH ON THEM: 2011 Cairdeas Crush Party, noon-5 pm. Cairdeas Winery Tasting Room, 3400 Harbor Ave, Suite 113. From the announcement: “Sample some of the delicious wine grapes we have brought in, try the freshly pressed grape juice, and of course try the wine! … After this event we will be open for a special event in November but closed for the rest of the season.”

HOUSE WITH HISTORY: A West Seattle home designed by Milton Stricker, student of Frank Lloyd Wright, is on the market for the first time and open to the public for an event 1-4 pm, including an appearance by Stricker’s son Peter Stricker (also an architect).

The house, described by the son of its original owner as having an “organic architecture” style, is at 2274 Lotus Avenue SW; see photos (and more details) at seattlemodern.com.

BOARD GAMERS: 3rd meeting of a new group that plays primarily “European” strategy board games, such as Settlers of Catan, Carcassonne, and Dominion. From organizers: “New players who don’t mind some complexity and strategic thinking are welcome.” 1 pm, Uptown Espresso in The Junction, bring your game if you have one, questions to Gene at egene1@yahoo.com and, if you’re interested in today’s meeting or future ones, join this online group: games.groups.yahoo.com/group/wsgamers/.

FREE NIA: ‘New to Nia Playshop’ at Allstar Fitness, 2629 SW Andover in North Delridge. The Nia teaching staff will explain the technique and then lead a 50-minute “jam-ette” class. All fitness levels welcome. Noon-1:30 pm, questions/RSVP to Jill@niadivas.com or 206-999-1743.

LIBRARY ART SHOW: Southwest Library community art show opens today, runs through November 12th. (The reception is at 2 pm November 6th, but you can come see the art during library hours.)

FAUNTLEROY FALL FESTIVAL: FAUNTLEROY FALL FESTIVAL: 2 – 5:30 pm, at the YMCA, church (9140 California Avenue SW), and schoolhouse (across the street at 9131 California). Free activities for all ages! Event schedule for the festival is linked in this WSB story..

RETURN OF THE RIBS: Not far from Fauntleroy, one idea for post-festival dinner – Feedback Lounge (WSB sponsor) brings back their popular Sunday ribs starting tonight, 5 pm till they’re gone.

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Ritual Running update: Seattle Lutheran senior’s 5K/10K
October 16, 2011 12:42 am
|      1 COMMENT
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle people

Back in August, we brought you the story of Seattle Lutheran High School senior Matt Haggerty and his senior project “Ritual Running,” intended to inspire community members to run, while raising money to help get shoes for those in need, culminating in a 5K/10K. Saturday was the day for that big event – and Christine shared these photos, saying, “It’s so nice to see a West Seattle student organize and lead an event like this. Great leadership and inspiration.” Among the participants, Christine said, were “a good number of 5th graders from Schmitz Park (Elementary)”:

Matt has been leading training groups, too.

P.S. Separate effort BUT also a 5K – this (Sunday) morning, you can be part of the first-ever “Beat the Burn” run/walk on Alki – details here.

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Sunday: Cakes, ponies, pumpkins, goats! Fauntleroy festival
October 15, 2011 9:30 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   Fauntleroy | West Seattle festivals | West Seattle news

After months of planning, the final round of readiness started this morning in the heart of Fauntleroy, where we spotted this megacanopy at midday. Its site in the Fauntleroy Church/YMCA parking lot is only part of the venue for Sunday afternoon’s Fauntleroy Fall Festival (2-5:30 pm), which also sprawls across the Fauntleroy Schoolhouse grounds across the street (front and back) in the 9100 block of California SW (map). The full schedule of events/activities – where, when, what – is here – including (elaborating on our headline) a cake walk/cake-decorating contest (explained here – not too late to enter!), pumpkin-painting for kids, pony rides, and even a goat demonstration. Much more, as you’ll see on the activities list. See you there!

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High-school football: Victories for WSHS, Seattle Lutheran
October 15, 2011 7:58 pm
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle schools | WS & Sports

Today’s two high-school football games brought victories for both local teams: Tonight at West Seattle Stadium, WSHS beat Ingraham 30-13 in its homecoming game. And this afternoon, Seattle Lutheran won at Orcas Island, 28-27. We’ll add WSHS homecoming highlights in a bit. (P.S. Nichole sent words, next week’s WSHS-Sealth faceoff is up for Channel 7 Game of the Week – vote here.)

ADDED: Summary from the WSHS game, ahead:Read More

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Video: Sunken landing craft off Beach Drive finally raised
October 15, 2011 5:59 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   Seen at sea | West Seattle news

After more than 10 hours of work since first light – and that’s not counting the work done yesterday, after its early-morning sinking – the landing craft Justin has finally been brought up from about 25 feet of water off the 5400 block of Beach Drive. We first reported this about half an hour ago in our earlier updated-throughout-the-day coverage, but now that it’s up, we’re starting a new story. (Added – Colby Chester‘s overview of the scene as it came up:)

A U.S. Coast Guard chopper has been circling the area for the past 20 minutes or so, too. More to come – we’re watching to see what’ll be done with it, now that it’s out.
6:11 PM UPDATE: A Coast Guard news release supplies that answer:

It will remain suspended, allowing water to drain, and placed on a barge that will arrive at approximately 6 p.m.

A team of environmental specialists has completed a shoreline assessment and search for oil at Lowman Beach and Lincoln parks. There is no evidence of oil on the shore, on driftwood or on the absorbent boom near the shore. The team will continue their search for any sign of oil on the shoreline and overflights to monitor the evaporation and breakup of light weathered diesel ribbons that remain.

Wildlife has been reported in the impact area, however no impact to wildlife has been reported. Please call 1-800-22-BIRDS to report impacted wildlife.

We caught up with the aforementioned environmental-specialists team at midday, as they finished checking Lincoln and Lowman Beach parks – that’s part of our earlier coverage. Meantime, the “6 pm barge” isn’t here yet – we’re waiting and watching.

8:01 PM: The barge came into view at dusk. Beach Drive Blog has night photos of the ongoing operation. (Added – a Department of Ecology photo:)

Spending the day on an open sliver of land to watch the progress, we met many interesting people. But one in particular framed the situation in a unique perspective – a woman who identified herself as the girlfriend of the Justin’s namesake owner. She said she hadn’t had much time to talk to him since it happened; she sat on the rocks on the same bit of shore where we were all day, waiting, wondering, worrying. As for why the converted landing craft sank – the official investigation will take time.

10:25 PM: Another update from the Coast Guard, which says, now that the Justin is out of the water: “Prior to repairs being done, Coast Guard and Wash. Dept. of Ecology investigators will examine the vessel in an attempt to determine what caused it to sink. Shoreline assessments of the beaches near Lowman Beach and Lincoln parks will resume at sunrise. A helicopter will also be used at sunrise to assess the evaporation and breakup of the light weathered diesel ribbons that remain.”

11:19 PM: Excellent night shots in the latest Beach Drive Blog update. They report the salvage barge is taking the Justin to Tacoma for repairs work (its owners, Waterfront Construction, however, are based in Seattle).

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West Seattle weekend scene: See the big walking group?
October 15, 2011 2:45 pm
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 |   Seen around town | West Seattle news

We saw that group multiple times in the Gatewood, Fauntleroy, and Morgan Junction areas this morning, but couldn’t stop to see what they were up to – Volksmarch, maybe, we thought. Nope – now we know, it was another Seattle Stairway Walk! Jake and Cathy Jaramillo led another of their trademark walks, and shared photos – above, the group, 40-plus strong, passing the Westside Unitarian Universalists‘ church in the 7100 block of California SW, headed uphill/southbound. Great day for a 3.5-mile walk, reports Jake, adding that their route included the fabled SW Thistle staircase, and the Solstice Park stairs/walkway:

(From there, they passed the P-Patch pumpkin sale, we’re told. P.S. Jake and Cathy are writing a book, due out next August.)

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