West Seattle, Washington
12 Sunday
No cozy fire in the fireplace today/tonight: The Puget Sound Clean Air Agency has just expanded what was a Snohomish County-only burn ban into King County too. It’s a Stage 2 ban, which the agency says means:
* No burning is allowed in ANY wood-burning fireplaces, wood stoves or fireplace inserts (certified or uncertified) or pellet stoves, unless this is your only adequate source of heat. Residents should rely instead on their home’s other, cleaner source of heat (such as their furnace or electric baseboard heaters) for a few days until air quality improves, the public health risk diminishes and the ban is cancelled.
* Even if your fireplace, pellet stove, or wood stove is your only adequate source of heat, no visible smoke is allowed.
* No outdoor fires are allowed. This includes recreational fires such as bonfires, campfires and the use of fire pits and chimineas.
* Burn ban violations are subject to a $1,000 penalty.
It is OK to use natural gas and propane stoves or inserts during a Stage 2 burn ban.
TWO FUNDRAISERS FOR OFFICERS’ FAMILIES: It’s the 2nd of two days for the Papa John’s Pizza “profits to the Lakewood officers’ families” fundraiser – as reported here last night (with help from many commenters), the response was massive. There’s another way to enjoy yummy food and know you’re helping the officers’ families: Pasta dinner for a $10 donation at both West Seattle Merrill Gardens (WSB sponsor) locations, 5-7 tonight – details here.
ANIMALS FIRST FOUNDATION FUN @ FEEDBACK: Fundraiser tonight at the Feedback Lounge (WSB sponsor) on behalf of Animals First Foundation – 7 pm, $10 donation gets you snacks, games, and a chance to hear from local animal advocates including West Seattle’s own Teri Ensley of Furry Faces Foundation.
34TH DISTRICT DEMOCRATS’ HOLIDAY PARTY: No business, just celebration, says the 34th DDs’ website, capping a year in which one of their own longtime members ascended to the County Executive’s office. 6 pm, The Hall at Fauntleroy. It’s a potluck, so don’t come empty-handed. P.S. Congratulations to the 34th DDs’ webmaster Bill Schrier, who’s also City of Seattle Chief Information Officer, and in that capacity has just landed on the Computerworld Top 100 list of Premier IT Leaders
For more holiday haps – the West Seattle Holidays page is chock-full (just three days till the Christmas Ship‘s big West Seattle weekend, and four days till the next Hometown Holidays Sunday in The Junction!) – and for other events, including a Stand for Children recruitment event in WS tonight, see the WSB West Seattle Events page.
WAX BAR TO THE TRIANGLE: Not every day you check the latest list of liquor-license applications and discover one for a skin-care business – but that’s what happened today, when we noted The Wax Bar has applied for a “snack bar”-class license at the storefront above in The Triangle, 37th/Fauntleroy (map), between the new shoe repair shop and West Seattle Brake Service. We called The Wax Bar’s current location in Ballard to confirm. They told us they’re hoping to open in West Seattle in February, but that depends on how permits go. So what’s the liquor license for? we asked. Answer: To serve beer, as they do in Ballard (here’s a feature our partners at the Seattle Times published last year). This is part of the Triangle’s ongoing business boom, just as its first major mixed-use project (Link) begins construction (bringing 200 residential units in 2011) – Mountain to Sound Outfitters just opened at 3602 SW Alaska (and they’ve just joined the WSB sponsor ranks – more on that tomorrow); Cycle University opened 2 months ago at 4550 Fauntleroy; the aforementioned shoe-repair store is about two months old; Lien Animal Clinic just opened a brand-new building. (Wednesday afternoon note: The Wax Bar has now announced the expansion on its own website – here’s the item.)
JUNCTION WING DOME UPDATE: “Villagegreen” asked in the WSB Forums whether Wing Dome was still coming to The Junction, as first reported here two months ago – wondering whether the “for lease” sign that’s still in the window was, so to speak, a bad sign. We checked today with Colleen O’Leary of Consolidated Restaurants (Wing Dome’s parent company) – she said they have not yet finalized the lease but still expect to; since it’s not finalized yet, they don’t have a timetable for opening the restaurant. She also said they’re not planning to take the entire ex-CAPERS space.
They’ve helped keep thousands from going hungry — and their only reward is knowing what a difference they’ve made in all those lives. But tonight, West Seattle Food Bank volunteers got a special thanks – a dinner in their honor at The Hall at Fauntleroy. Food Bank board president Pete Spalding (honored last weekend with a West Seattle Volunteer Recognition award) says it’s important to celebrate them for “all of their hard work and dedication to helping our clients.” You can, of course, help the Food Bank even without volunteering – just go here. (PS – There are many ways to help those in need this holiday season, listed on our West Seattle Holidays page, and even if there’s not a specific holiday drive, if you’re with a nonprofit that would like to put out a specific request for ways people can help, please let us know so we can share – we often hear from people asking “what can I do to help?”.)
Just out of the WSB inbox, from Joshua:
I live in a house with three friends on SW Charlestown St near the 7-11 gas station [map] and am currently out of town on business. I just received a phone call from my roommate saying that someone has broken into our house this evening and stolen a variety of things, mostly small and valuable: digital SLR, small stereo, jewelry, and etc… We are still waiting for the police to arrive and to file an official report, but please let this be notice to other West Seattle residents that this person may choose make this a trend in the area. As far as my roommate could tell, there are no signs of forced entry, even though all the doors were locked when she came home. The intruder *may* have come in through a window and, if so, maybe locked the door behind him/her.
Thanks to Brian and Christopher for the tips – at least one car is stalled at the top of The Bridge, backing up westbound traffic all the way to I-5.
Kristina and Tamara both shared the news that after dark, a crowd gathered at Papa John’s in West Seattle, on the first of two days during which the chain is donating its Puget Sound profits to the families of the four murdered Lakewood Police officers, whose three-hour memorial service ended an hour ago. We are down there checking on it right now – the cameraphone photo (more pix to come) above confirms, there’s indeed a line for takeout, and we’re told a big wait for delivery too. Remember Papa John’s is doing this again tomorrow (and there are other fundraisers in West Seattle, including tomorrow night’s pasta dinner at both WS Merrill Gardens [WSB sponsor] communities – full details of all the fundraisers can be found here). ADDED 6:44 PM: The crowd inside:
7:22 PM: As some commenters are noting, and as Carrie Ann said via Facebook, it appears they’re no longer taking orders for tonight – but remember, this continues tomorrow.
We spotted that waterfall-turned-icefall outside a Triangle business on Monday, but we doubt it’s thawed since then, given the temperature’s stayed below freezing all day. One alert, thanks to tipster Katherine – the West Seattle (Admiral) Branch Library is without heat at the moment – she told us they were considering closing early if they can’t find a way to warm the place up; we’ve got messages out to Seattle Public Library‘s communications team to confirm. Meantime, the National Weather Service has just updated its detailed “forecast discussion,” noting it’s likely to be a few degrees colder tonight than last night, and mentioning again that there’s a chance of lowland snow Friday night/Saturday.
It started an hour later than expected because the nearly 2,000-vehicle-long procession took extra time, but the service with tens of thousands in attendance at the Tacoma Dome is officially under way as of shortly after 2 pm. Watch it live on KING5.com. Here’s our earlier story with several West Seattle ways to help the officers’ families – today, tomorrow, this weekend and beyond. To contribute directly to the fund, go here.
Thanks to the folks at DKA, building the new Denny Middle School and renovating Chief Sealth High School, for the latest aerial photo of the site – compare to this one from three months ago:
In the latest construction update, they say Sealth work is continuing on “insulation, doors, plumbing, HVAC, electrical and fire sprinklers” and wall-framing, while structural-steel deliveries continue for the new Denny – they’ve already completed putting up the steel for the new Denny gym as well as the Galleria that both schools will share. Sealth is scheduled to move back this fall after 2 years at the Boren interim location; we’re checking on the latest timetable for Denny occupancy. Here’s the official project-information site.
Today we’re welcoming our newest WSB sponsor, Seattle Cat Sitter. Sasha Goodwin lives in West Seattle and that’s where she started her business, offering in-home 
cat-sitting services to keep your cat happy and healthy while you are away. She’s offering a special discount as Seattle Cat Sitter joins the WSB sponsor team – 10 percent off for first-time clients. Sasha says she’s proud to be part of the West Seattle business community, and she’s also a West Seattle volunteer, helping out at Next To Nature in The Junction, with cats that are there from Friends of the Animals, looking for their forever homes. Seattle Cat Sitter is licensed, bonded and insured, and in addition to cat-sitting, Sasha also offers other services: She can run holiday errands and deliver cakes, flowers, etc., for special occasions. Call Sasha at (206) 409-6040, e-mail info@seattlecatsitter.com, or check the Seattle Cat Sitter website at seattlecatsitter.com.
We thank Seattle Cat Sitter for sponsoring independent, community-collaborative neighborhood news on WSB; find our sponsor team, and info on joining, all here.
That’s one of the newest renderings of the revised Admiral Safeway project, as shown to the Seattle Design Commission downtown last week – we’ve added that and five other new renderings to our full report on that review. And tonight, the project (which returns to Design Review in West Seattle a week from Thursday) will be one of the items on the agenda as the Admiral Neighborhood Association meets for the last time this year, 7 pm, Admiral Church basement meeting room (California/Hill).
Also tonight – from the WSB West Seattle Holidays page: Westside Symphonette‘s holiday concert, which we previewed here (with video). It’s a two-fer – holiday classics (even a Hallelujah Chorus singalong) AND orchestra classics from the great composers. It all starts at 6:30 pm at the West Seattle High School Theater – and it’s the next best thing to free – $1 (though the nonprofit community orchestra would be thrilled if you cared to donate more).
Three more fun events to mention: Libraries often have kids’ storytime, but tonight, it’s “adult storytime” at West Seattle (Admiral) Branch Library, with “Thrilling Tales” at 7 pm (more here) … and it’s regular trivia night at Feedback Lounge (WSB sponsor) – rock ‘n’ roll team trivia at 8 pm – and Christo’s on Alki (7 pm).
Today, thousands of law-enforcement officers and other mourners will gather at the Tacoma Dome to remember the four Lakewood Police officers murdered at a Pierce County coffee shop nine days ago. If you plan to go to Pierce County to pay tribute, the info you need is all here; meantime, today, tomorrow and this weekend, there are several fundraisers through which you can help raise money for the officers’ families:
PAPA JOHN’S PIZZA, TODAY AND TOMORROW: Papa John’s stores around Puget Sound – including West Seattle – are donating the profits (what they bring in above and beyond their costs) of all sales today and tomorrow. They open at 11; you can order online here.
IVAR’S CHOWDER, TODAY: Ivar’s will donate all proceeds – that’s the total sale price – from chowder sales today, at all its locations, to the fund for the officers’ families. Closest locations to West Seattle are on the downtown waterfront (next to the fire station that’s just north of Colman Dock ferry terminal) and the Ivar’s Seafood Bar in Burien (map).
PASTA DINNER AT MERRILL GARDENS’ WEST SEATTLE COMMUNITIES TOMORROW: 5-7 pm Wednesday, Merrill Gardens at Admiral Heights (2326 California SW) & West Seattle (4611 35th SW) — both WSB sponsors — will host a Pasta Dinner to raise money for the families of the fallen police officers – minimum donation $10/person, and all the money received will go to the fund for the families.
SCOUTS COLLECTING DONATIONS ON SATURDAY: West Seattle Tiger Scouts plan to have a table at the Holy Rosary School Christmas Tree Lot this Saturday (December 12) from 9 am-5 pm to collect donations for the fund to help the officers’ families. Den leader Stan Debiec says, “We are also hoping to have a “giant card” available for people to sign. If we can muster up the card and people sign it, we will then get a group of us scout parents and scouts to drive it down to the Lakewood Police Department and present it to them.”
WEST SEATTLE-BASED SPORE DONATING PART OF PROCEEDS: Last but not least, we heard from Lily at Spore, a West Seattle-based company with a distinct niche – doorbell buttons. Some come with blue lights. Per Lily: “Until the end of January, we will donate 25 percent of each order from customers who purchase any of our products and use the code BLUE at checkout to officer memorial funds. We will also ship the order for free. Although our blue products were our inspiration, customers do not have to order a blue colored product to use the code.”
You may have seen the TV reports — like this one — about an emotional court hearing Monday for a man accused of hit-and-run for the crash that killed 30-year-old Jerome Dumlao as he walked across a Belltown street early Sunday. We have learned from one of his neighbors that Mr. Dumlao lived in West Seattle, and also drove a FedEx route in the area. The driver accused of killing him, who police say admitted to drinking before the crash, is in jail in lieu of $500,000 bail. 3:18 PM UPDATE: We have just heard from a friend who says there’s a memorial fund set up for Mr. Dumlao’s family – through Sterling Savings Bank in Ballard.
Last night’s West Seattle Hi-Yu membership meeting was an occasion for both holiday celebration and serious business: Choosing the float theme for next year. West Seattle is the only neighborhood in the city that still has its own parade float traveling the region representing the community; before all that happens during a long season of parades, the year’s theme must be chosen – then the float’s designed and built. Twelve potential themes were proposed at Monday night’s meeting in the fellowship hall at St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church; Hi-Yu members at the meeting each got three votes, and then the top three votegetters went up for a runoff. The final three: A music-focused float themed “Rockin’ the West Side”; an unnamed concept involving spaceships and aliens with a slogan along the lines of “Every Visitor Is Welcome in West Seattle”; and a fanciful fairytale landscape themed “Dreams Do Come True” – which won, hands down. Incoming Junior Court Princess Kaitlin (above) presented the idea, a collaboration with Bianca and Isabella – here’s a closer look at some of the components sketched out for the concept:
Look for “Dreams Do Come True” next parade season – we’ll keep you posted when float development revs up! Also from Monday night’s Hi-Yu meeting: The float undercarriage is almost ready for full winter storage; it’s being kept at a local tow yard. … Plaques and trophies from the awards won by this past season’s much-honored “How Sweet It Is” float were given to individual royalty members by request – as Hi-Yu president Tim Winston put it, they are more meaningful as personal mementos that way, than if they went into a box for storage on behalf of the entire organization. And Hi-Yu fundraiser ornament sales have been a hit – only a dozen are left (here’s how to get one). So, want to propose a float idea and/or vote on it next year? All you have to do is join Hi-Yu – membership dues support the summer festival as well as the float program representing West Seattle around the region – here’s the application.
12:36 AM: Just received two reports via e-mail and text (thanks!) that there’s a power outage in Highland Park, apparently coinciding with power flickers in other parts of West Seattle, including here at WSB HQ in Upper Fauntleroy. Checking for more info – let us know if it’s affecting you too. One of our HP tipsters, “westseattledood,” says it “looks dark for blocks.” 12:48 AM: Seattle City Light says about 1,900 “customers” – homes/businesses – are out of power in Highland Park and White Center. Sounds like they haven’t traced the cause yet, either, as the recording asks anyone with information on what might have triggered it to stay on the line to talk with a dispatcher. 1 AM UPDATE: SCL projects the outage might last till 4 am but still doesn’t have word of its cause. 2:09 AM UPDATE: We have one report of power coming back on, at 16th/Myrtle. 2:33 AM: City Light has taken the outage info off its hotline – haven’t confirmed yet if that means everybody’s back on or not. 4:35 AM: City Light confirms everyone’s back on (although the time mentioned in their online update doesn’t entirely synch with what people were telling us earlier this morning) and says the outage was caused by a “cable failure.”
Local community groups, from the Highland Park Action Committee to the Highland Park Improvement Committee to sports leagues and dog owners, have long been talking and brainstorming about the 20-acre Westcrest Park expansion to be built atop and around the new West Seattle Reservoir cover – but only now is the official conversation getting under way, after a standing-room-only meeting — read on:Read More
Suzanne has a reminder after grinchy thieves struck her doorstep near 28th/Webster [map] on a day otherwise full of joyous memories:
I had a FedEx package stolen from my Sunrise Heights home on Friday night. It was a wedding gift to my new husband, to whom I was getting married on the same day it got stolen. FedEx will probably cover it, but the thief is still a worthless lowlife. Be sure to have packages delivered to work addresses or held at the PO this season!
Continuing our West Seattle Christmas lights showcase: If you drive the Fauntleroy side of the west end of The Bridge at night, you’ll notice several well-lit homes — including the one you see above in the 4000 block – this year, the row of houses looks brighter than ever. It’s a little tricky to reach – the turn is off 35th, north of where the main stretch of Fauntleroy becomes The Bridge – here’s a map. Got a brightly lit home or street to share with us and other West Seattle holiday-light lovers? Let us know – editor@westseattleblog.com. The archive of lights we’ve featured so far is here, including video of the Helmstetler Family’s set-to-music display by the Charlestown water tower and the Menashe Family home on Beach Drive, and homes from past years (this one, in fact, we showed two years ago – though you can tell there’ve been many additions!). Lots more holiday activities, sights and sounds on the West Seattle Holidays page (including the Christmas Ship schedule for this weekend!).
(Icy patch at Cloverdale/Fauntleroy Place)
Latest forecast calls for “chance of snow” Friday night. But in the meantime, we still have a frosty week to deal with – the next three nights could drop into the teens, and tomorrow’s high may not even break freezing. If you want to look at it as frozen cup-half-full, this has its benefits: The sky remains mostly clear, and West Seattle astro-expert extraordinaire Alice Enevoldsen is planning to be at Solstice Park (upslope from the tennis courts north of Lincoln Park) by 5-ish to stargaze with anyone interested. (Full details on her Alice’s Astro Info website.)
Before the weekend, we mentioned the sign project that closed part of I-5 south of West Seattle last weekend and was scheduled to expand northward this weekend. Just got word from WSDOT that will include closing a ramp from The Bridge to I-5 – read on:Read More
Tomorrow, the suspects charged with murder in the February 1st West Seattle shooting death of Steve Bushaw are expected in court. The case has been much-discussed since we first reported the 4 arrests last week, then details of the charges. According to court documents, the suspects believed the victim was responsible for a crime for which he was never charged; the documents include no evidence of his involvement in that crime. The Bushaw family has declined requests for comment as the 10-month investigation proceeded, but the victim’s sister, Tanya Bushaw, asked if we would publish something she wanted to say on her brother’s behalf – here is her statement in its entirety:
Over the past ten months my family has decided to keep our comments to ourselves regarding the killing of my brother, Stevie Bushaw. We didn’t know any details as the detectives could not tell us anything due to it being an active, on-going investigation. However, on Tuesday when we found out police had arrested 4 men who were involved in his murder we were so relieved, excited, and sad all at the same time. We finally had some sort of resolution to this situation and more insight as to what happened that night. Despite these arrests, it is still an on-going investigation and we only know what has been written in the charging documents.
You cannot imagine how hard it is to hear your son/brother say “Bye, I’ll be back. I’m going to have a beer with Bryce” and then 15 minutes later he is dead and you have no idea why or how it happened. You only know he will not be back…ever!
Before this I only saw my dad cry twice, maybe three times in my life and now he cries everyday. My mother, in addition to all her tears, was sure her heart shrunk because her chest felt sunken after this happened. My daughter, 4, has had to learn about death, guns, and “bad guys” that use guns to kill people. Too many nights I had to hold her and calm her down from crying so hard because she missed her Uncle Stevie. As a whole we are all very sensitive to each other’s well being in fear that we might lose another member of this family.
(Editor’s note: That is Tanya’s daughter, Ava, held by Steve Bushaw in the photo above, shared earlier this year by the family. Tanya’s statement continues after the jump.)Read More
From Mayor-elect Mike McGinn‘s transition team: They’re “restarting” the search for a new police chief and have announced the co-chairs of their search committee: Downtown Seattle Association President Kate Joncas and Charles Rolland, who leads Community and Parents for Public Schools of Seattle. The announcement says they’re talking to Mayor Greg Nickels‘ search-committee appointees “to see which of them wish to continue to serve with the new administration.” The search will resume with an organizational meeting next month; a recommendation is expected by May, by which time Acting Chief John Diaz will have served in the interim role for a full year.
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