West Seattle, Washington

19 Saturday

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Spotlight Stories


  • Remembering

    WSB CO-FOUNDER DIES: Remembering Patrick Sand

  • Zoning

    ZONING CHANGES: Check your neighborhood

  • Kenney

    TOWER LIGHT’S BACK ON: The story behind it

2 Junction notes: Police response; suspected coyote sighting
November 27, 2009 12:04 pm
|      10 COMMENTS
 |   Coyotes | Crime | West Seattle news | Wildlife

Two things to mention: First, we just checked out a tip about a notable police response in The Junction near the Chase bank branch. An ambulance was called too; turns out, police tell us at the scene, to have been a fight between two people described as transients. Second, just got this note from Courtney at Wallflower Custom Framing (WSB sponsor) across from Jefferson Square:

I thought it might be worth mentioning that I just watched a coyote run down the middle of 42nd Street. It briefly ducked into the parking garage under Jefferson Square and then came out (with a bunch of crows giving chase) and ran north on 42nd toward Alaska Street. I lost sight of it after that, and it all happened faster than I could react to snap a photo. I only mention this for any potential safety issues both for the public and the animal, and also to see if anyone else can confirm the sighting or if I am just sitting here in the frame shop hallucinating…

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Video: Chief Sealth, Denny marching bands in downtown parade
November 27, 2009 11:35 am
|      9 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

No special place for media to shoot the Macy’s Holiday Parade downtown, so we just picked a spot – and got lucky: The Chief Sealth High School–Denny International Middle School combined marching bands, directed by Marcus Pimpleton, stopped right in front of us for an entire Christmas medley (and a few dance moves). According to e-mail forwarded to us last night by Denny principal Jeff Clark, the two bands only had three combined rehearsals – but as you can see in the video (and as evidenced by the crowd reaction), they rocked the parade – take three minutes and have a look/listen. Another West Seattleite was in the parade – the last parade for Greg Nickels as Seattle Mayor; we’ll add that clip when it’s done. (Update: Here’s the link.) Downtown tonight, it’s the Macy’s star lighting and fireworks – if you can’t be there, our friends at KING5 say they’ll be showing it live, as well as a special edition of Evening Magazine at 7 co-hosted by West Seattleite Jim Dever (pictured here covering this morning’s parade).

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West Seattle (& beyond) Black Friday update: The shopping begins
November 27, 2009 5:58 am
|      26 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

Thanks to David Rosen from SlickPix Photography for sharing a shot of the line at Westwood Village Target before it opened at 5; we just drove past WWV Staples and noted about 15 people waiting for its doors to open at six. (Nothing like Southcenter, where we’d gone just to gawk at the enormity of the lines; for Best Buy, for example, the line stretched for blocks across neighboring storefronts before the store opened at 5; [added 1:04 pm] our video caught linecutting again this year, this time unnoticed.) If you haven’t already, please see our West Seattle BF update from last night, with some local deals for today – once you’ve gotten the early-morning malling out of your system, it should be a great day to wander around The Junction, the Admiral District, and other West Seattle spots dotted with shops.

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Day after Thanksgiving: More changes & other notes for today
November 27, 2009 5:31 am
|    Comments Off on Day after Thanksgiving: More changes & other notes for today
 |   Holidays | West Seattle news

WEST SEATTLEITES IN MACY’S HOLIDAY PARADE DOWNTOWN: Reminder, if you’re going downtown to see it (here’s the official parade-route map; it’s NOT on TV this year), look for the Denny International Middle School and Chief Sealth High School bands marching together (they’re scheduled to be the 22nd entry in the parade). And it’ll be West Seattleite Greg Nickels‘ last parade as mayor.

METRO: “Reduced service” – explained here.

MOST GOVERNMENT OFFICES: Closed.

TRASH/RECYCLING/YARD WASTE: If you have Friday pickup, it’ll be on Saturday, as crews catch up from the holiday.

LIBRARIES: Open.

STREET PARKING: Where there are city pay stations/meters, this is NOT a holiday, so be sure to pay up.

MAIL DELIVERY: Yes.

BANKS: Open.

CHRISTMAS TREES: We’re working on our official list. So far, we’ve seen them at West Seattle Nursery, Tony’s (35th/Barton), TrueValue in The Junction, and both RiteAid stores. (The Holy Rosary lot opens tomorrow.)

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Black Friday West Seattle notes
November 26, 2009 10:44 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

Seriously now – do you really want to drive 15 miles in the middle of the night to stand out in the cold and the (possible) rain and go through this?

And after all that, it may turn out that there were only two of the “doorbuster” items in stock, and you were beaten to them by a couple of fellow line-waiters with jet packs and/or rocket-powered wheelies. No worries. Sleep in and shop West Seattle instead – or, if you insist on getting up and doorbuster-hunting (there ARE a few chances to do that in WS, at some of the chains in WW Village – Bed Bath Beyond opens at 5 with 20% off entire purchase before 10; Target opens at 5 for a two-day sale; Staples opens at 6, though its site is down till 3), shop your local small businesses afterward. Here are a couple highlights from around West Seattle’s business districts:

*From Click! Design That Fits (WSB sponsor) in the Admiral District:

We’ll be giving away one free mercury glass ornament with any purchase of any other holiday decorations, while supplies last. Note that we will NOT be opening early… we aren’t morning people on any day of the year and certainly not the day after Thanksgiving! We are open noon to 7 pm. Our extended holiday hours begin Monday.

*Grand opening day for Mountain to Sound Outfitters, the new enterprise by the Alki Kayak Tours entrepreneurs, 3602 SW Alaska (map). They’re planning a free barbecue noon-2 pm.

*In The Junction, Edie’s Shoes has a 20 percent coupon (get it here). And Cherry Consignment (open 10 am-6 pm) is offering 10 percent off today and tomorrow to shoppers who bring a friend to the store with them.

*Also in The Junction, you can get your entries in for the $6500 giveaway – details on the Junction Association website, including list of participating businesses.

(added Friday morning) *On Alki, from Coastal Boutique‘s newsletter:

This Friday, November 27th, shoppers who spend $80 or more at Coastal will receive a
FREE $20 Coastal Gift Card as a thank you for shopping at Coastal!

(added Friday morning) *Another Junction note just in from Lisa at CAPERS:

CAPERS celebrates the kickoff to the holidays with a BLAFRITHWECYMON SALE [Black Friday Thanksgiving Weekend Cyber Monday Sale]. No camping necessary to save. Dining tables are 25% off, selected chairs are up for adoption & customers will receive a $10 gift card for every $50 they spend through Monday. Additional details at 932-0371.

(Reminder to businesses – any time of the year, you can post Freebies, Deals, Sales *free* in the WSB Forums section by that name – start here.)

(back to original report) And one more note for weekend shoppers:

*If you’re shopping for books, note that West Seattle High School Grad Night 2010 has a Bookfair going at Barnes & Noble through Sunday (any store, but you need to tell them you’re using Voucher #10001303, and if you show a receipt with that # on it, you get a free slice of pizza at Giannoni’s Pizza in Westwood Village).

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West Seattle Thanksgiving scenes, 2009 edition
November 26, 2009 8:37 pm
|    Comments Off on West Seattle Thanksgiving scenes, 2009 edition
 |   Holidays | West Seattle news

Our biggest trip away from HQ on this quiet (so far, knock wood) Thanksgiving took us to The Junction, where the Easy Street Records marquee carried the traditional message. Two blocks up California SW, we peeked in on the West Seattle Eagles reviving their free-holiday-dinner tradition:

We have a tradition of not photographing people who likely would prefer to enjoy holiday dinner without a camera in their face, so we don’t have a view of the dining room, but if we did, you would have seen a HUGE screen showing football. A few doors north of the Eagles’ aerie, we visited one of the many West Seattle coffee entrepreneurs working the holiday, charter sponsor Hotwire Coffee‘s proprietor Lora Lewis, who incidentally makes a mean Mexican Mocha:

Now on to Black Friday – we’ll have a few West Seattle-specific notes in our next update.
One more pitch, Hotwire’s holiday coupons are still good – first two through Sunday, the other two for longer; here’s a direct easy-print link.

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Followup: What the Historical Society’s ghostly gala scared up
November 26, 2009 5:59 pm
|    Comments Off on Followup: What the Historical Society’s ghostly gala scared up
 |   West Seattle history | West Seattle news

As we celebrate this holiday, we have a story from the last one – Halloween. Local writer Lesley Holdcroft tells the tale of the day’s most unusual event, from an inside perspective – she was one of the “ghosts” at the Southwest Historical Society’s fundraiser brunch.

Story by Lesley Holdcroft
Photos by gail ann photography
Special to West Seattle Blog

Eleven thousand dollars!

I’m used to generous money flowing around me, but around $11,000, pledged in two and a half-hours? That sets a new personal record.

What an event, the Southwest Seattle Historical Society’s Fall Gala: the people gathered at Salty’s on Alki, the costumes, the crowd dressed as ghosts, six ghosts making otherworldly appearances and a fun announcer encouraging the attendees to give money to support the society’s programming.

Read More

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“House with history” saga continues; it’s not just about the house
November 26, 2009 1:03 pm
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle people

It’s the perfect day to ponder some of what you’re thankful for. So it’s perfect for the latest update we received from the local chiropractor rescued from a kayak mishap last March – who first sent in his account of the rescue, and has since updated us twice (in August and in October) about his renovation of a home with history.

Story and photos by Dr. Scott Redfern

The heater is going off again. This is a splurge; I’ve been home for three hours, heat included.

Recently I have been getting bids on re-plumbing the entire house.

It seems my bucket-bath days are limited. I must proceed, however uncomfortable, and demo the last standing bastion, my bathroom. I must smash the tub into tiny bits, saw all the walls, and finish by sacrificing brutally and mercilessly the pipes of old.

I am experiencing a lifestyle change. Next week I will be in Vegas at a seminar. I could come home to new plumbing if I play my cards right.

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Another West Seattle power outage – this time, Arbor Heights
November 26, 2009 11:26 am
|      9 COMMENTS
 |   Utilities | West Seattle news

“We apologize for the inconvenience this Thanksgiving Day,” says the Seattle City Light recording, updating the second West Seattle outage in two days — last night, the Westwood Village area; today, almost 300 customers (given the area, we’d guess almost entirely residential) in southern Arbor Heights/The Arroyos. City Light says this one is the fault of an underground problem, that crews will be called in from home, and that power may not be fully restored till 6 pm. (Some may have it back already – it was shortlived for one person who e-mailed us, anyway.) 2:44 PM UPDATE: In comments here and a post on our Facebook wall, we’ve gotten reports of other short outages in areas including Lincoln Park and Gatewood.

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Happy Thanksgiving, West Seattle!
November 26, 2009 5:04 am
|      13 COMMENTS
 |   Holidays | West Seattle news

One of many things we can be thankful for – spectacular scenery like that image David Hutchinson captured a few weeks ago from Seacrest. Here we are, on Thanksgiving Day – the first of the Major Winter Holidays is here. So is our compilation of information that might be helpful today – all previously published, but today, all in one place:

WEST SEATTLE COFFEE SHOPS OPEN TODAY

WEST SEATTLE GROCERY STORE HOURS TODAY

WEST SEATTLE RESTAURANTS OPEN TODAY

And then we have word of FOUR free Thanksgiving feasts, open to EVERYONE:

*The Hall at Fauntleroy (map), noon-3 pm (more details here)
*West Seattle Eagles (map), 2-5 pm (more details here)
*Freedom Church (map), 3 pm
*Admiral Pub (map), starting at noon

But perhaps you’d like to work out first? See our West Seattle Holidays page‘s Thanksgiving section for workout opportunities this morning at the West Seattle/Fauntleroy YMCA (WSB sponsor) and 8 Limbs Yoga.

As for what/who else is open – we didn’t catalog businesses beyond the categories mentioned above, but there are some. For example, Easy Street Records‘ retail store is open 9 am-1 pm, while their cafe is open for *coffee only* 7 am-noon; some local drug stores are open, in case all the holiday hoopla gives you a headache … and if you still need dessert, Shoofly Pie in The Junction was planning to have a limited amount available for walk-in customers 10 am-noon today – note there was a line when they opened yesterday with the same plan:

As for the rest of the news – we hope you’ll be able to unplug today, at least for a while. We’re going to try to, too. But if you feel the need to read, no worries, we’ll be publishing several feature stories as the day goes on, and we are on standby for breaking news – we’re committed to 24/7/365 coverage.

Have a HAPPY holiday! And THANK YOU for being part of WSB – your collaboration, participation and support keep the information flowing.

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West Seattle Crime Watch: 6-report roundup
November 25, 2009 11:56 pm
|      8 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | West Seattle news

Before we go into something resembling holiday-news mode (we’ve got some great stories to share during the day, plus we’ll be on standby for breaking news, 24-7-365 means 24-7-365), we’ve got 6 Crime Watch reports to share. First some good news: In the WSB Forums, The Velvet Bulldog reports progress in the search for the hit-run driver who caused her big trouble six months ago – here’s her update; here’s the original post. Next – Unsolved (so far) cases, starting with one we found via Twitter, putting out the word about another work truck stolen, this time in West Seattle: 1980 GMC 4-door green full-size pickup with black racks. “Two ‘kids’ drove it off,” according to the truck owner’s spouse. It’s been reported to police, so call 911 if you’ve seen it. More ahead, including uniforms missing after a car break-in at the beach – read on:Read More

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West Seattle school scenes: Sanislo games; Madison wheels
November 25, 2009 9:52 pm
|    Comments Off on West Seattle school scenes: Sanislo games; Madison wheels
 |   Fun stuff to do | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

Thanks to Matt Weiner, teacher candidate at Sanislo Elementary, for sharing photos from a fun event there last week, along with the story:

On Thursday, November 19th, Sanislo Elementary School held its annual Family Game Night. This year’s Game Night was organized by the four Teacher Candidates (formerly known as Student Teachers) from the University of Washington. This event draws together the school community to engage in a fun-filled evening of eating, good conversation, and of course playing games with one another. There were a wide variety of games being played, from old classics like Booby-trap and Scrabble to more contemporary games like Harry Potter chess and a fishing game based on the movie, Cars. This year, other activities were incorporated into the evening, including face painting, guessing game jars, a bake sale to support the fourth grade trip in the spring, and even a large walk on chess game.

Here’s the pic of that:

Matt continues:

Even on a rainy Seattle evening there was an estimated crowd of 150 people. This evening was even more successful with all the help of the volunteers and wonderful donations to additionally support the dinner option of pizza and prizes for the guessing game jars. This event continues to be a sought after evening of bringing together the community in a fun and interactive way.

(That gives us the opportunity to plug future Family Board Game Afternoons at Southwest Branch Library – more info here.) And at Madison Middle School, high-flying fun today:

Thanks to Ed for sharing that photo from the Ride and Glide BMX bicycle demo at Madison today. They’re the same riders who showed their stuff at West Seattle Christian in late August (WSB coverage here).

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Westwood Village-area power outage update: Back by 3 am?
November 25, 2009 9:34 pm
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   Utilities | West Seattle news

Finally got some official information about a power outage in the Westwood Village vicinity. We got a text about a “spotty” outage in a few places at the center earlier tonight – went over and looked around, didn’t see any obvious evidence of an outage. Seattle City Light didn’t have anything on its outage line. But now they’ve sent a short tweet saying 148 customers – businesses and residences – are affected by the outage, and they may not have the power back till 3 am. In a comment on this morning’s holiday supermarket hours story, “Voodoo” reports that QFC has had some effects – including the ice-cream case.

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West Seattle coffee shops open on Thanksgiving: The map
November 25, 2009 4:35 pm
|      7 COMMENTS
 |   Holidays | West Seattle news | WS beverages


View West Seattle coffee shops open Thanksgiving 2009 in a larger map

Coffee and cooking just seem to go together. So once again this year, we’ve compiled a list of which coffee shops will be open Thanksgiving (and when). Click any spot on the map and you’ll see the name, address, and hours. These are the ones we have confirmed – by phone or in-person visit – are OPEN tomorrow; those we know are closed, are not listed. Note that the green arrow marks WSB sponsor Hotwire Online Coffeehouse, which is offering coupons for freebies during the 4-day holiday weekend (see them, and print them from, our Coupons page). Use the plus sign on the left side of the map to zoom in, and to go to the fullpage Google Map (including a text list on the left side), click the VIEW LARGER MAP link under the map above. Thanks yet again to Sue Scharff (who works with the zesty Zippy Dogs) for research assistance. There are a few places that didn’t pick up the phone and didn’t have hours posted – so if you know of one we missed, please leave a comment or e-mail us, and we’ll add it. This will also be linked from the WSB West Seattle Holidays page, where you’ll also find standing links (through tomorrow, anyway!) to the list of West Seattle restaurants open tomorrow and the list of West Seattle grocery stores open tomorrow.

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Return of the weekend traffic advisories – holiday edition
November 25, 2009 3:33 pm
|    Comments Off on Return of the weekend traffic advisories – holiday edition
 |   Not WS but we're mentioning it anyway | Transportation

Remember those big roundups from SDOT before the big summer weekends? They’re back for the holidays and with so many activities around the city, we’re thinking you’ll be interested. Among them, as mentioned here a few times, Friday morning (8:45 am start)’s Macy’s Holiday Parade with the Denny/Sealth bands (here’s the official route map, courtesy of Macy’s). Read on for the full traffic alert for the next four days:Read More

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West Seattle Crime Watch: Help police find serial-burglary suspect
November 25, 2009 3:15 pm
|      8 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | West Seattle news

Just posted at SPDBlotter: Southwest Precinct investigators who’ve been working on dental-office break-ins in West Seattle and citywide are asking your help in finding the man shown at left. Here’s the text of the alert: “Seattle Police detectives are seeking the public’s assistance in locating Shane L. Carlson, 26, in connection with the recent pattern of dental/medical office burglaries in recent months. Carlson in the prime suspect in these burglaries, most of which have occurred in North and West Seattle, but also in Bothell, Shoreline and Bellevue since May of this year. Carlson has multiple warrants for his arrest, including a $100,000 Burglary 2nd Degree warrant and a $150,000 Possession of Stolen Property and Violation of Uniformed Controlled Substances Act (drugs) warrant. He is described as a white male, 26 years old, 5′6″, 155 pounds, blonde hair, blue eyes, and a thin build. He has a scar on his face and tattoos on his left shoulder, upper left arm and back. He may be driving a green 1998 Range Rover or a champagne-colored 2001 Cadillac DeVille. He may frequent North King County or South Snohomish County.
Anyone with information regarding this incident is urged to call either 911 or Detective Bauer at (206) 233-7830. Those wishing to remain anonymous are encouraged to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or send a text to CRIMES (274637). Your text message should include “TIP486″ to ensure proper routing. If a tip leads to an arrest and the filing of charges, callers may qualify for a cash reward of up to $1,000. Calls are taken 24 hours a day.“

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Pre-Thanksgiving giving: Food banks; SLHS; Pet Giving Tree
November 25, 2009 2:05 pm
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   How to help | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

First, one more pre-Thanksgiving food bank pitch. The West Seattle Food Bank is open till 3 pm today – one more hour – the White Center Food Bank (which serves part of southern WS too) is (THIS IS AN UPDATE) open till 7 pm. You’ve probably seen our pitches to help make sure your neighbors have a happy holiday. Here’s one we received from Rob:

Just wanted to let you know that I spoke to Audrey at the WC Food Bank last night and she said they still need large turkeys, dinner rolls and cranberry sauce. When I dropped off some cranberry sauce this morning they told me that had run out of it altogether.

I didn’t even know there was a WC Food Bank until I read your post mentioning the need for the turkeys and such. A bit embarrassing to say that since I live only about 25 blocks from it, but my point is that I didn’t know and your post made me aware of it. Here’s hoping it opens more people’s eyes.

The WC Food Bank is at 10829 8th SW; directions here. The WS Food Bank is at the southeast corner of 35th/Morgan. (3:01 PM NOTE: We went to WCFB to clarify when they’re open and what they need. Director Rick Jump says they’ve got what they need for holiday distributions and thanks everyone who’s helped. Our note: Both local food banks have a tremendous ongoing demand – donating $ to them online will give them the most buying power, as they have a lot of bulk deals.)

One more story of giving. It’s a tradition for Seattle Lutheran High School students – a day of giving right before the holiday. Today, they’ve been working on a variety of projects around West Seattle – including painting a mural in the nursery at neighboring Hope Lutheran Church/School:

Other groups of SLHS students did work including pulling invasives at Me-Kwa-Mooks and performing music for local elders. ADDED 2:16 PM: One other giving option we meant to mention – it’s among the “ongoing” listings on the WSB West Seattle Holidays page – as of today, there’s a Pet Giving Tree at Hotwire Coffee (WSB sponsor):

Many other giving trees in West Seattle too – we’re continuing to add to the listings on the WS Holidays page – let us know if we’re missing any!

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West Seattle traffic alert: Don’t try to get to The Bridge from 35th
November 25, 2009 1:12 pm
|    Comments Off on West Seattle traffic alert: Don’t try to get to The Bridge from 35th
 |   West Seattle news

A crash is blocking the turn lane from 35th SW northbound to The Bridge eastbound at Fauntleroy – doesn’t look like a serious injury situation, but traffic is backing up on 35th.

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Holiday update: West Seattle grocery stores’ Thanksgiving hours
November 25, 2009 11:02 am
|      12 COMMENTS
 |   Holidays | West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

Continuing our pre-Thanksgiving info roundups (yesterday, we published the restaurant list — and have made some additions/changes since then; thanks to everyone for collaborating!) – now, here’s the West Seattle grocery store list, with who’s open/who’s not on Thanksgiving:

METROPOLITAN MARKET , Admiral
Open till 2 pm Thanksgiving Day

PCC NATURAL MARKET, West Seattle (WSB sponsor)
Closed on Thanksgiving Day

QFC in The Junction
Open till 6 pm Thanksgiving Day

QFC in Westwood Village
Open till 6:30 pm

SAFEWAY (all 3 West Seattle locations)
Open 24 hours as usual

WEST SEATTLE THRIFTWAY
Open 5 am-6 pm on Thanksgiving

P.S. Amazon Fresh (WSB sponsor) is NOT making Thanksgiving Day deliveries. Still to come – the coffee map; all Thanksgiving info will be linked from the WSB West Seattle Holidays page too (as well as the growing-daily array of other activities between now and New Year’s!).

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West Seattle Weather Watch: Your Thanksgiving forecast
November 25, 2009 10:18 am
|    Comments Off on West Seattle Weather Watch: Your Thanksgiving forecast
 |   Holidays | West Seattle news | West Seattle weather

Didn’t get to photograph the most spectacular intervals of fog this morning, but this view looking south from the top of Genesee Hill shows some of the lingering fog as it drifted over the water. Nothing extraordinary in the holiday weekend forecast – a break right now, but then some rain, some breezy conditions, according to the “forecast discussion”. (If you’re going downtown for the Macy’s Holiday Parade on Friday morning (the Chief Sealth High School and Denny International Middle School marching bands are in it! here’s the route map), looks like rain is possible.)

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Update: Fire in 4200 block of Beach Drive ruled “accidental”
November 25, 2009 5:55 am
|      32 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle fires | West Seattle news | WS breaking news

(cameraphone photo added 6:16 am)
ORIGINAL 5:55 AM REPORT: Big response to a house fire in the 4200 block of Beach Drive [map]. More shortly. 6:15 AM: Beach Drive is blocked off from La Rustica to Me Kwa Mooks because of the callout, which is – as noted in comments – at an under-construction home on the water side of Beach. 6:21 AM: The fire’s tapped. Fire Department spokesperson Helen Fitzpatrick is there and confirms that nobody was inside at the time and that no one’s been hurt – the fire appears to have originated on the second floor; they’re trying to reach the building’s owner. 6:26 AM: Note that the Beach Drive closure is affecting the 37 bus – via Twitter, @crm4444 advises that it’s being rerouted up Jacobsen and, “Looks like 37 riders north of Jacobsen need to catch at 63rd/Admiral till fire action clears.” 6:59 AM: Adding video of ladder crew working once the flames were out. When our camera pans back to the truck, you can see why the entire road is closed at that spot:

No word yet on the cause. 7:06 AM: SFD spokesperson Fitzpatrick now says one firefighter suffered an arm injury and had to go to the hospital. 7:18 AM: Heading back to the scene for an update. Beach Drive is still closed at Weather Watch Park on the north side. 8 AM: Still closed both ways; incident commander at the scene tells us northbound Beach Dr should reopen within an hour, southbound (the side the burned house is on) will be a bit longer. No word on the cause yet; investigators are in the house now:

In the daylight, it’s clear that the new construction where the fire happened is actually a two-story add-on in front of the old house.

10:30 AM UPDATE: Investigators say this was an accidental fire – damage estimated at $250,000. SFD says they haven’t zeroed in on exactly what sparked it, but it’s clear it was not deliberately set, so that’s the ruling.

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Triangle project in progress: Link demolition day 3 today
November 25, 2009 5:40 am
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Development | Triangle | West Seattle news

We stopped by to check out the Triangle site (38th/Alaska) where work has begun on Link (background here), taking these photos just as day 2 of demolition work was concluding at mid-afternoon Tuesday. The old Huling repair-shop building (which more recently had been used to build/store Hi-Yu floats) is about half-gone – above, the view from SW Alaska, looking north; next, the view from 38th, looking east through what’s left of its customer-service area (note the slogan on the wall):

And on the north side of the site, the remaining ex-school buildings are just a pile of splintered wood:

The head of the construction project, developer Harbor Properties tells us, is the same one who ran Mural (WSB sponsor), the apartments/retail building that opened this year across from Jefferson Square. Right now, this is the only project Harbor – which works around the city – has under construction. Before they started work on Monday morning, they visited nearby homes and businesses, they say, to make sure everyone knew who to contact in case of concerns about anything at the site.

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Dow Constantine swearing-in report #2, including what/who’s next
November 24, 2009 11:56 pm
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle politics

(Still photos in this report are courtesy King County)
A photographer working for King County took that photo of West Seattleites Dow Constantine and longtime partner Shirley Carlson in the front row at Daniels Recital Hall downtown, moments before he went to the stage to be sworn in as King County Executive. From the balcony overhead, we caught the subsequent aerial view:

We added a long excerpt of his speech to our original as-it-happened report on this afternoon’s event. You can also read the full speech text here. The county’s photos also include parental congratulations:

And here’s a cutaway of the camera-laden crowd:

Afterward, the Total Experience Gospel Choir (which rehearses at West Seattle’s Kenyon Hall) sang:

And then, with the 5 pm news hour approaching, it was time for the new County Executive to meet the media, and talk more about his immediate priorities:

His move to the County Executive’s office leaves a vacancy on the King County Council for District 8, which includes West Seattle. We’ve reported before on the process planned to find his successor to cover the next year, till what was his term expires in fall 2010. This afternoon – just moments before he was sworn-in – the county announced the list of 11 applicants for the immediate appointment (the following is an excerpt from the announcement, with the descriptions exactly as the county provided them):

Jan Drago—A member of the Seattle City Council who is leaving the Council this year
· Helen Howell—Former Director of the state Department of Financial Institutions, served as Deputy Chief of Staff under Governor Locke
· Zack Hudgins—State Representative from the 11th District
· Jake Jacobovitch—Engineer in the Road Services Division of the King County Department of Transportation
· Arun Jhaveri—Former Regional Technology Manager with the Federal Energy Management Program and former Mayor of Burien
· Lucy Krakowiak—Burien City Council Member and a member of the King County Library Board of Trustees
· Joe McDermott—State Senator from the 34th District
· Shawn McEvoy—Mayor of Normandy Park
· Sharon Nelson—State Representative from the 34th District,
· Vlad Oustimovitch—A partner at VoKa Incorporated, and a former Development Program Manager for the Seattle Housing Authority
· Kathleen Quong-Vermeire, Commissioner, Highline Water District, former Mayor of Normandy Park

Only two West Seattleites on that list — Sen. McDermott, whom the 34th District Democrats support (as reported here) as Constantine’s successor, and Oustimovitch, who also currently serves on the group of “stakeholders” helping plan the South Portal end of the Viaduct/Tunnel project. Rep. Nelson has been a longtime Constantine staffer; she emceed this afternoon’s event:

According to the county’s news release about the applicants, they both say they would run for the job after the appointed year expires; the advisory committee that will review them is supposed to recommend at least one finalist who would run, and one who would not. The County Council, now chaired by Councilmember Bob Ferguson, will interview the finalists starting Dec. 7; the advisory committee plans interviews on Dec. 3. In the meantime, another sign of the changing of the guard: Some new features on the county website, including, of course, the County Executive section.

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