West Seattle, Washington
05 Friday
(“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!
“You need a great principal, you’re deserving of that.”
That’s how Seattle Public Schools‘ interim Superintendent Dr. Susan Enfield opened tonight’s meeting at district HQ to talk about the process of getting Chief Sealth International High School a principal for the school year that’s just a month away – since longtime principal John Boyd is leaving for a new job in Highline Public Schools.
More than 60 people came to the meeting, including a dozen or so Sealth students, Seattle School Board president Steve Sundquist (father of two Sealth graduates), West Seattle’s executive director of schools Aurora Lora (at center in photo at right, taken during small-group breakouts), Sealth PTSA and faculty members, among others.
Before we get to the toplines – for anyone who wasn’t able to attend tonight, Lora will be on the Sealth campus tomorrow, 8:30 am-2:30 pm in the alumni room (near the main entrance), available to anyone who wants to talk about the principal situation.
Just as the county moves into the next stage of the plan to reduce combined-sewer overflows (CSO) from West Seattle’s Murray Pump Station by razing homes to install a huge underground tank in the area shown above, questions have been raised about the overall cost-benefit efficiency of the ongoing state-mandated CSO-reduction programs that the city and county both are pursuing.
Those questions are not new, but they are suddenly in a bright spotlight because of a Seattle Times report – which even led King County Executive Dow Constantine to send a news release late today with his thoughts on the issue.
More on that ahead, but first, the latest on Murray, one of two county CSO-control projects now in the planning stages in West Seattle (the other is a “green stormwater” approach for the basin feeding the Barton pump station by the Fauntleroy ferry dock):
At the Morgan Community Association‘s recent quarterly meeting, Murray CSO project manager Erica Jacobs said they’ve chosen a design team – Bellevue-based HDR – and are in the “contract negotiation and execution stage,” with preliminary design work to start next month. The design process, Jacobs said, will take more than a year – the timetable projects “final design” will be done by December of 2012. Next month, she said, also is when the county expects to make purchase offers to property owners.
The state-mandated environmental-review process is closed, she added, saying it brought “eight formal comment letters” – and that all have been responded to. Next step, according to Jacobs, is a September public meeting to “introduce members of the design team,” once the contract is “initiated.” Crews will be boring at the site, too, to “gather information for technical parameters of the design,” Jacobs explained, including “the depths that will be needed for the storage tank.” Then in October, she said, a community “design advisory committee” will be formed.
But now, enter the Times story about the overall CSO program – read it here. Reporter Lynda V. Mapes‘ story doesn’t dispute the point that CSO control has made a difference in Puget Sound water quality; it focuses on how much money is scheduled to be spent to make an additional, relatively small reduction in the pollution from the overflows that happen during big rainstorms, and points out that the biggest pollution threat to Puget Sound right now is runoff, which the hundreds of millions slated for further CSO control won’t even touch. She quotes several authoritative sources as saying it seems like time to step back and re-examine priorities.
County Executive Constantine’s statement late today appears to reaffirm support for the ongoing projects – read on for the full text:Read More
Thanks to the WSB’ers who reported a sizable police presence in the 1200 block of Alki (map) in the 4 pm hour and wondered what happened. We checked with Southwest Precinct Lt. Ron Smith, who says a real-estate agent arrived at a condo unit and “discovered it occupied by an unknown person. The door was locked; the subject in the condo failed to respond to officers’ command to open the locked door and required a locksmith to make entry.” And then, the person “was uncooperative with officers and required officers to physically restrain the subject,” who has since been taken to a hospital for a mental evaluation.
At the King County Courthouse this morning, the gallery in Superior Court Judge Joan DuBuque’s courtroom was almost completely filled for what was anticipated to be the start of opening statements in the trial of Bryce Huber and Brandon Chaney, charged with murdering West Seattleite Steve Bushaw (right) in February 2009. Among those on hand were members of the victim’s family. Then suddenly, a surprise – a problem that, over the course of the first hour, led to one of the jurors being excused from the case. That resulted in a new mini-round of jury selection to replace him, and that took the rest of the day, with word just in that opening statements are expected to start tomorrow. The trial may last the entire month and has already gone through a variety of delays; it was on the verge of starting back in January when it was pushed back by sudden developments, including 2 other defendants deciding to plead guilty. (The backstory’s in our original report on the charges filed in fall 2009.)
(2010 Night Out photo of 48th/Dawson party, by Christopher Boffoli for WSB)
Tomorrow night is the biggest block-party night of the year around West Seattle and the rest of the U.S. – Night Out. 
Years ago, it started as National Night Out Against Crime, and that’s still its focus, to bring together neighbors and neighborhoods in the interest of crime prevention and deterrence. It’s not too late to get your party on the citywide map – a few West Seattle events are there now, but we know there are more! (10 am Tuesday is the deadline.) And thanks to party organizers who have sent us info on locations/times for the traditional WSB “as it happens” Night Out report – if you wouldn’t mind us potentially stopping by, please e-mail us the address and who to ask for. It’s a great chance to celebrate neighborhood spirit.
That photo from Genesee Hill would be lovely without words – another beautiful West Seattle view on a perfect summer day. But Lolo, who shared the picture, explains the reason it’s worth a smile:
A while back our bench disappeared. This morning a bench appeared at the overlook, magically. Not sure this is hugely newsworthy, but I think it’s an example of anonymous giving that should be recognized.
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