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West Seattle weather woes: Power, road, flooding updates
December 12, 2010 6:52 am
|      43 COMMENTS
 |   Utilities | West Seattle news | West Seattle weather

(This was our morning report; go here for ongoing afternoon coverage – thanks!)

(Photo added 7:54 am – power out at Admiral/California intersection, businesses too, but City Light went by)
6:52 AM: If you wake up and notice your clocks are out of synch with battery-powered sources like your cell phone or watch – part of north West Seattle lost power in the early-morning hours. Roughly 3-4 am, judging by the smattering of notes we received. Some may still be out (let us know if you are) – complete information isn’t available because the city website is down, but Seattle City Light’s Twitter account reported about an hour ago that 838 West Seattle customers were still out of service at that time, and has not updated since. Meantime, might still be a good time to check on battery/charging status of key devices – it’s not only still pouring, but at least where we are, the wind has picked up in a big way.

7:12 AM UPDATE: Some confirmations in comments and via Facebook that some people are still without power in Admiral. The biggest outage, described by SCL on FB as 2,800 homes/businesses in Alki/Harbor Avenue, started at 2:20 am; at least one of those customers reported the power returning around 4. We’re heading out now to survey both power and road flooding – especially perennial deep-water trouble spots like West Marginal Way/Highland Park Way, where some problems were reported in the very early morning hours. The National Weather Service is warning of slide danger as well as urban/”small stream” flooding.

7:50 AM: First major intersection where the power’s still out: Admiral/California. Looks like the businesses on all four corners, too, as well as the stoplights. (a few minutes later) The outage is centered here JUST around the Admiral/California junction – the Lander stoplight is on (at Lafayette/Hiawatha); heading eastbound, while the west side of 42nd is out, the east side (with Metropolitan Market [WSB sponsor] and Safeway gas station is ON). Jack in the Box has NO power, same for businesses in the Linda’s/Bird/Heavenly/Alki B&B building and the CIrca/cleaners building. On the north side of the outage, no lights or signs of power are evident before the flashing yellow light at SW Walker/California SW. (a few minutes later) On the west, the outage stretches to the east side of 44th – 7-11 has NO power, Bank of America is out – but the power is on starting with the west side of 44th. Heading down to the water now to check on Alki/Harbor.

8:29 AM: Just drove Alki from Seacrest to Cactus, power’s ON, no apparent problems – though the road shows numerous signs of undone pothole repairs – the gravel/asphalt material littering the lanes, holes reopened – so be careful, even in the middle of the road away from the puddles. In addition to the Admiral/California outage, there may be other pockets – Mac just mentioned via Twitter that they’re OUT along Ferry in North Admiral. Please note that while the city website is back on, the current SCL “tracker” is NOT accurate – it doesn’t show any of the areas where we’ve verified the power’s out. Also to reiterate – the Alaska/California Junction was ***not*** affected so plans are still ON for today’s Hometown Holidays festivities (Santa photos, Farmers Market, etc.).

8:59 AM: A crew was just putting out signs to close West Marginal Way SW south of Puget, as we arrived to check out reports of tree trouble as well as deep water (so much puddling even north of here, it’s not safe to drive) – so avoid W. Marginal Way TFN – we’ll be trying to check from the south side to see how far the closure stretches.

9:19 AM: If you need sandbags, there are still a few left on the east side of Delridge Community Center – photo above is from just a couple moments ago. (later note – as of 10:30, all gone, will try to find out if more will come)

9:37 AM: Longfellow Creek is now over its banks by Allstar Fitness. The parking lot was just being roped off as we drove up. Here’s the creek overflowing the nearby pedestrian bridge:

Club still open as far as we know. (P.S. For those who’ve asked – here’s the famous 12/2007 photo.)

9:53 AM: In case you were wondering, the West Seattle Farmers’ Market IS up and running (will be, at 10 am) – just drove by, vendors finishing setup – The Junction was NOT affected by the power outage. Santa photos start at 11 am at Donna Ryan Photography (this week’s $15 donation benefits West Seattle Helpline).

10:16 AM: City Light’s most recent estimate for restoring Admiral power is 11 am – we’ll be back there to check in person (and please let us know if you’re in the area, the second you’re back on).

10:35 AM UPDATE: Thanks to Laura and Pete for the note that Delridge CC is out of sandbags again. We’ll try to find out if more will be available. Meantime, WSDOT says the northbound I-5 exit to the West Seattle Bridge is closed, too much water. That and West Marginal Way SW are the two main closures affecting WS – that we know of, anyway – so far. Seattle Parks also reports the Longfellow Creek flooding has closed the WS Golf Course.

10:55 AM UPDATE: The NB I-5 exit to WS Bridge has reopened, says WSDOT. City Light says the still-out Admiral customers should be back on “within the hour.”

11:18 AM UPDATE: Starting to get word of people indeed getting their power back on in the Admiral outage zone. Muttley Crew Cuts (42nd/Admiral, west side) says theirs is back.

11:36 AM UPDATE: The photo above is the intrepid crew at the Hometown Holidays (co-sponsored by WSB) tent outside KeyBank in The Junction, there till 3 pm. Bring pet food for the donation drive! They’re kitty corner from Santa’s photo HQ at Donna Ryan Photography (also till 3). Meantime, the rain is lightening just a bit … the clouds seem to be lightening a bit … there’s hope this really will ease later this afternoon. We’ll be starting an afternoon story within the next hour or so, with ongoing afternoon updates – till then, this one is “stuck” atop the home page, with any newer news going beneath it, fyi.

12:10 PM: Though West Marginal Way SW is open again at the spot where we found it closed earlier, there’s a massive puddle further south and police were putting out flares – plus we lost our steering going through it (too late to turn around), and there are other big puddles further north, so AVOID W. Marginal TFN. Also beware Oregon just east of Delridge; there’s gravel all over the road.

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Followup: On an overflow night, Morgan’s CSO-plan reaction
December 12, 2010 12:10 am
|      8 COMMENTS
 |   Environment | West Seattle news

The red triangle in that graphic, taken from this updated-every-10-minutes county webpage just after midnight, is a reminder of the problem that’s supposed to be solved by what’s been a controversial and sometimes combative process, as King County decides how to cut down on combined-sewer overflows (CSOs) from two West Seattle pump stations. The red triangle shows that one such overflow is happening right now at Murray (Lowman Beach), the station whose proposed solution – unveiled just the other day – is the most controversial. It means that because the heavy rain is overloading the pump station’s capacity, a mixture of raw sewage and stormwater from the “combined sewer” system is going straight into Puget Sound. And the county is under orders to make sure that happens less often, so it’s announced – as first reported here last Wednesday – that it will study an underground-storage-tank alternative for Murray, which would require, if it wins final approval, the county to purchase six private properties across the street from Lowman Beach Park, even if that means taking them via “eminent domain.” The Morgan Community Association has been involved in the process, and hosted an extra public meeting last summer that led to the creation of a Citizens’ Advisory Group, whose ultimate recommendation was different from what the county’s now pursuing. We asked MoCA vice president Chas Redmond, also a CAG member, for comment; MoCA’s been mulling its official reaction ever since, and just sent it Saturday night:

The Morgan Community Association (MoCA) appreciated the opportunity to have played a role in facilitating a discussion between King County and the Lowman Beach/Murray Basin residents. We were glad that the County responded with a full set of interactive sessions leading up to a recommendation from the Murray Basin Citizens Advisory Group.

Under recommended alternative 1F, King County would design and build a storage tank beneath private property across from Lowman Beach Park and collect runoff from the Murray Basin. Recommended alternative 1F also contains green infrastructure solutions for the Barton Basin that are strongly endorsed by MOCA as they result in reduced flows into the Lowman Beach/Murray Basin.

We understand that the current recommendation will entail significant disruption and we look to King County to provide fair and consistent mitigation to these impacts. It is our sincere hope that the County will work closely with each affected resident and property owner to ensure a timely and just relocation process. We count on the continued communication between all parties.

However, MoCA is pleased that Lowman Beach Park will be preserved as the valuable community asset that it is. Recommended alternative 1F proves that citizens working with appropriate government operational staff can implement solutions which truly expand the set of options available for storm-water clean-up and retention. We look to the day when there will be fewer combined-sewer overflow events to achieve the overarching goal of the project – a clean and productive Puget Sound.

The Fauntleroy Community Association has jurisdiction in the area affected by the other pump station that was the subject of a CSO-reduction recommendation, Barton (by the state-ferry dock). For that “basin,” the county wants to create “green stormwater infrastructure” to hold onto more water outside the drainage system. FCA’s president Bruce Butterfield commented the day the decision came out, as we reported that night; the Barton decision is so non-controversial, in fact, FCA has decided not to have a December board meeting. Next step for both recommendations will be an environmental review that the county says will include more community outreach, so be on the lookout for that.

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Followup: ‘Small fire’ brings big loss for West Seattle family
December 11, 2010 7:56 pm
|      17 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle fires | West Seattle news

(MONDAY UPDATE: Contribution information added at story’s end)

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

It’s hard, and heartwrenching, to imagine … two weeks till Christmas, you’ve done all your shopping, even gotten a tree – hadn’t even had a chance to decorate it yet – and suddenly, fire takes it all away.

E-mail this morning, and an emotional conversation this afternoon, brought new information on the aftermath of what was described as a “small fire” when we covered it early Friday on 49th SW just north of Admiral Way. Turns out, that “small fire” brought big losses to the West Seattle family who lives in the house – though of course mom Ronni Peterson is thankful to be alive, after escaping the early-morning fire with her dog Louie:

We met Louie and Ronni in the living room of her neighbor Karen Kinch, who e-mailed to ask if we’d help get the word out about what Ronni needs in the fire’s aftermath. Ronni didn’t want to be photographed, but talked at length about how she and Louie made it out, and how the presents she’d bought for her two teenagers (not home at the time) went up in smoke, as well as many other family belongings – some of which we photographed in the yard shortly after the fire:

Here’s that same view this afternoon:

It was 3 am Friday when Ronni awakened to “weird, loud popping sounds” that she thought might have been someone trying to break in. She opened her bedroom door – and the smoke rushed in. After slamming the door shut, Ronni realized she and Louie had only one viable escape route – the window in this photo:

Below the window, at the bottom of concrete steps to the basement door, is a roll of old carpeting. That’s where Louie landed when Ronni threw him out the window to safety. He’s 7 years old; she is sure the carpeting saved him from death or serious injury. She managed to get from the window to the side yard without falling down there too. As she ran over and banged on Karen’s door, she heard the massive fire response (you can see the 14-unit callout at 3:09 am on this archived 911 log) – and then saw Louie in danger of running across Admiral.

She rescued him. Firefighters got the flames out fast. But not before the smoke and water trashed the interior of the front of the house:

According to Ronni, the fireplace was to blame for sparking the fire – embers from a fire she’d had going earlier in the evening. As she noted in a comment on WSB last night, she is a renter, but didn’t have insurance. She’s staying with relatives, after spending that first night at Karen’s house. Her kids are with family and friends – 15-year-old Emily, a tenth grade at The Center School, and 13-year-old Evan, a seventh grader at Madison Middle School.

Instead of dealing with the aftermath of a fire, she was supposed to be spending today helping with fundraising for Emily’s upcoming school trip to Costa Rica. Ronni had obtained $700 in See’s Candy for her family and others to sell as a fundraiser – and all that candy was in the house, along with Christmas presents she’d bought early — Black Friday sale items, now just plain blackened, along with so many things, even little Christmas decorations:

Asked what she needs, Ronni says for starters, a storage unit where she can keep the belongings that are salvageable from the house – items she could take out of it right now if she had somewhere to put them. Then she needs to find a new place to rent, no more than $1,200, which she was paying at the now-too-damaged-to-inhabit house by 49th and Admiral. She needs to stay in West Seattle, she says, because she and her former husband share child custody, and he’s just about a mile away from where she’s been living.

After that, she says, she’ll probably need furniture. And while presents she’d bought for her teenagers “can’t be replaced,” she’s not even ready to think about that yet – she just has to get the basics handled.

If you can help, please e-mail her at ronnip66@gmail.com. Karen will be looking into a PayPal and/or regular bank account to set up a fund, but for starters, the storage and rental help would be big.

MONDAY UPDATE: Here’s information for bank and PayPal funds set up for Ronni and her family: At any Wells Fargo, you can designate a contribution for the Ronni Peterson Fire Relief Fund. Or via PayPal, you can send money to ronnip66@gmail.com.

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Christmas Ship’s 1st West Seattle stops greeted with umbrellas
December 11, 2010 6:23 pm
|      9 COMMENTS
 |   Holidays | West Seattle beaches | West Seattle news

(UPDATED 11:29 PM – adding photos from Alki)

In the second :30 of that clip showing the Christmas Ship and its accompanying boats sailing away from Seacrest Pier less than an hour ago, after their first West Seattle serenade this season, you’ll see all the umbrellas – lots of hardy folks weren’t going to let the rain keep them away from this holiday tradition. Yes, there was even a bonfire, plus reps from your West Seattle Community Centers serving refreshments. The Christmas Ship will be back in our waters two more times tonight, but with a different choir. In case you missed Seacrest, here’s the first number performed there by Northwest Girlchoir Vivace:

The Dickens Carolers will be on board when the Christmas Ship arrives at Lowman Beach at 8:50, and Alki Beach at 9:40 for its next two 20-minute musical stops.

ADDED 11:29 PM: We made it to the Lowman stop, not to take photos/video, just to watch/listen. On that side of the Sound, the water was topped with fog, from which the Christmas Ship seemed to emerge, a bit eerily. The rain intensified during the performance there, and it was slippery going to cross back over the grassy, muddy park to get to the sidewalk/street. From there, the ship (known the rest of the year as Argosy’s Spirit of Seattle) moved on to Alki as planned – we called it a night at that point, but David Hutchinson shares these two photos from the Alki stop:

Here’s the schedule for the rest of its season (remember, Argosy Cruises sells tickets to ride on board the Christmas Ship and its official “parade boats,” too), including a final West Seattle stop on Monday (Don Armeni, 8:40 pm with Soundwave performing).

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Ready for another tree lighting? White Center’s tree gets one too
December 11, 2010 4:25 pm
|    Comments Off on Ready for another tree lighting? White Center’s tree gets one too
 |   Holidays | West Seattle news | White Center

(Photo by Deanie Schwarz for West Seattle Blog/White Center Now)
Even after the West Seattle Junction tree lighting a week ago, and the Our Lady of Guadalupe lighting last night, still yearning for more turn-the-tree-on holiday spirit? You’re in luck. The brand-new White Center community Christmas tree is up (technically on the West Seattle side of the line) and the WC Chamber has just announced a lighting ceremony for this Wednesday night. Full story and more photos on our partner site White Center Now.

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Our apologies for this afternoon’s outage!
December 11, 2010 3:15 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle online

WSB was down for more than two hours this afternoon – along with a number of other sites whose servers are managed by the same company. computer.jpgThat’s the longest outage we’ve experienced since changing server managers two years ago – the company with which we work, WiredTree, is usually fabulously reliable and fast to fix problems (their last notable problem was a 45-minute outage 9 months ago). We’re awaiting their full explanation of what went wrong, but in the meantime, we want to let you know that we always have alternate channels you can check in case there’s a problem here: Twitter (@westseattleblog), Facebook (WS Blog), and on the Web, our main backup is our White Center site, whitecenternow.com – its server is managed by a different company, in a different city, so it was up the whole time WSB was down, and there’s little chance that one problem in a certain geographic area can take out everything we use to get you information. Thanks for your patience, and now, on with the news – we’ve got several new stories in the works, and we’ll be at the first Christmas ship stop in a couple hours (5:15 pm at Seacrest), never mind the rain (remember two years ago when that stop immediately preceded The Snow?).

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West Seattle Fabric Company now officially open for business
December 11, 2010 12:00 pm
|      16 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

Just moments after officially opening the doors at 11 this morning, West Seattle Fabric Company already had its first customers. It’s been less than 2 months since we brought you first word that Monica Skov would open the shop in the former home of Click! Design That Fits (longtime WSB sponsor that’s now in The Junction), but she is open and enthusiastically welcoming everyone who steps through the door:

That’s Monica and her proud husband and daughter. Today she also unveiled the shop’s official logo, which you’ll see on its window and A-board outside:

West Seattle Fabric Company is at 2210 California SW and will be open until 5 today, noon-4 pm tomorrow. There’s more information on its Facebook page. This is West Seattle’s first fabric store since Hancock Fabrics closed more than 2 years ago to make way for the long-stalled Fauntleroy Place development, where it was supposed to have a new store.

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West Seattle Weather Watch: Sandbag-supply update
December 11, 2010 11:44 am
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   Delridge | West Seattle news | West Seattle weather

Delridge Community Center is one of two places where the city is offering sandbags – the only one in the south end – but as of a short time ago, its supply was all gone. The center says they’re expecting more soon, but if you were planning on heading out to get some, you might consider waiting a while. Meantime, checking on the forecast, the heaviest rain is expected to be tonight through tomorrow night.

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Happening now: Picture-perfect bazaar inside C & P Coffee
December 11, 2010 9:53 am
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | WS beverages | WS culture/arts

Special shoutout to photographer Machel Spence, who not only has sent photos of the C & P Coffee (WSB sponsor) Holiday Bazaar before we and our cameras could even hit the road, but also is one of the most prolific contributors to the West Seattle Blog photo pool on Flickr – take a look and see her beautiful photos of local fungi and forests. She’s among the artists and other vendors at C & P till 3 pm today. (Other bazaars are happening around West Seattle right now too – as listed here, with other holiday – and non-holiday! – happenings.)

ADDED 4:39 PM: Two more photos from the C & P event – which drew quite the crowd!

That’s the overview from just one of C & P’s rooms – we also snagged a shot of artist Barbara Noonan, of Mornin Noonan Night Studios downtown:

C & P is a hub of activity many days/nights of the week – from live music to art classes to monthly poetry readings; you can check out the calendar here. (And remember a diaper drive is under way for WestSide Baby and food-bank drive, with donations welcome for both!)

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West Seattle Saturday: Christmas Ship, bazaars, Santa, sandbags…
December 11, 2010 8:42 am
|      10 COMMENTS
 |   Holidays | West Seattle news

(WSB photo, December 2009)
The worst of the impending storm may not hit till late – if you’re creekside and worried about floods, sandbags are available at Delridge Community Center – so don’t let yourself be spooked away from a chance to celebrate the Christmas Ship visits with your West Seattle Community Centers team. Three West Seattle stops tonight: Seacrest Pier, 5:15-5:35 pm, then Lowman Beach from 8:50-9:10 pm, Alki Beach 9:40-10 pm (full season schedule here, including one West Seattle encore Monday)

BAZAARS/ARTS AND CRAFT SALES: C & P Coffee (WSB sponsor) hosts a Holiday Arts & Crafts Fair with jewelry, toys, clothing, prints, paintings, furniture, holiday items and more. … 9 am-3 pm (5612 California SW) … There’s an art fair at Diva Espresso, 9 am-4 pm (4480 Fauntleroy Way SW) … Freshy’s Coffee is hosting a holiday Homemade Brigade from 10 am-4 pm … And two that are NOT at coffee shops: “Winter Wonder” Holiday Bazaar in the movement studio at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, noon-3 pm (4408 Delridge Way SW) and the Holigaze Art Sale at Ginomai Studios, noon-7 pm …

HOLIDAY CHORAL CONCERT: Endolyne Children’s Choir presents its Winter Fantasy Concert in the sanctuary at St. John’s Episcopal Church, 11 am, adults $7, children 12/under $5

SANTA PHOTOS – KIDS AND PETS! For the kids – Westwood Village has Santa in the house noon-4 pm (across from 24 Hour Fitness), bring food bank and diaper donations … For the pets: Both Windermere offices in West Seattle have Santa Paws coming to town today – both 11 am-2 pm – Morgan Junction (6505 California SW). also collecting food donations and new socks for those in need, and The Junction (4526 California SW), bring any pet-related item or pet food for donation.

HIGHLAND PARK HOLIDAY PARTY: Highland Park Improvement Club holiday party, starts with potluck dinner at 6 pm – full details here

FREE COMMUNITY HOLIDAY MEAL: Everyone is welcome! Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, 1-3 pm (35th/Myrtle)

CHRISTMAS TREE SHOPPING? We published the annual WSB West Seattle Christmas Tree Price Survey yesterday afternoon.

OTHER SHOPPING? More than 20 West Seattle businesses’ deals and holiday hours are now part of the WSB West Seattle Holiday Shopping Guide!

WEST SEATTLE FABRIC COMPANY’S GRAND OPENING: We suspect everyone who’s been eagerly awaiting this store already knows, but in case you lost track – 11 am today, the store at 2210 California SW opens its doors (and has just debuted its logo on Facebook).

‘ASK AN EXPERT’ AT TOOL LIBRARY: Noon-2 pm: As part of The West Seattle Tool Library’s monthly conversation series, Eric Thomas of Solar Epiphany (Solar Power) will join the regular cast of experts who will be hanging out at the Tool Library, along with sustainable-building, urban/winter-gardening, and water-harvesting/cistern experts. North end of South Seattle Community College campus (6000 16th SW). Free drop-in event.

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New sign for Pigeon Point: Invitation and get-well wish
December 11, 2010 8:20 am
|    Comments Off on New sign for Pigeon Point: Invitation and get-well wish
 |   Pigeon Point | West Seattle news

If you live in, or travel through, northeast West Seattle’s Pigeon Point neighborhood this weekend, you’ll see that sign – another creation by PP Neighborhood Council co-chair Jim Sander, whose signs have told neighborhood stories before – from a traffic detour to a fight against vandalism. The face is that of Vivian McLean, legendary neighborhood advocate/activist (whose 90th birthday was feted last month [WSB coverage here]). According to Pigeon Point’s Pete Spalding, who shared the photo, Vivian is always the hostess of the neighborhood’s holiday party, but had to skip this year because she is recovering from an injury, so Jim created a sign that holds a get-well wish as well as a party invite.

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Our Lady of Guadalupe tree lighting: Celebration and tribute
December 10, 2010 10:19 pm
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   Holidays | West Seattle news | West Seattle religion

On the night of the Feast Day in honor of their church and school’s namesake, Our Lady of Guadalupe‘s Christmas tree shines bright near the city’s highest point. The tree lights went on during a festive, well-attended community celebration tonight. But before the lights, and the caroling, OLG’s Father Jack Walmesley had two things to share with the crowd – news about OLG’s principal Kristin Dixon, following a tribute in memory of parishioner Mitch Forrey, who along with wife Mary inspired the annual tree-lighting celebration:

Shortly afterward, the main event, the tree countdown, led by the event’s emcee Brian Callanan, a local TV journalist, West Seattleite, and OLG parishioner:

This is the tree’s second year with energy-saving LED lights, by the way. After the lighting – with the weather still blessedly dry – it was time for lots of crowd caroling, led by OLG choir director Ann Sager. “Jingle Bells” – with car keys used as impromptu bells if need be – is a tradition at this event:

Other caroling included “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing”:

Also noted during tonight’s event, Our Lady of Guadalupe’s ongoing fundraising campaign to add a new Parish Life Center and gym; according to the campaign’s website, the campaign has brought in more than half the $4.2 million they’re working to raise.

SIDE NOTE: OLG is one of the local churches whose Christmas services are listed/linked on the WSB West Seattle Holidays page – if yours aren’t there yet, we invite you to send the information so we can add it there too!

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West Seattle wildlife: Another owl encounter
December 10, 2010 9:43 pm
|      7 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | Wildlife

After reading CS‘s Tuesday report of a too-close encounter with an owl along Bonair in North Admiral earlier this week, Cory e-mailed to share this:

Mine happened last Wednesday morning at 4:45 am on California Ave as it heads around Hamilton Viewpoint and down to the beach. He took two passes….one skimmed the top of my head, and the next, 20 seconds later, he was clawing at my scalp. Needless to say, a loud scream and an arm wave scared him off. The spooky part of the whole incident was the fact that he/she was totally silent…….small animals don’t stand a chance!!

I have seen a large owl in the trees on Bonair, and can only imagine this is the same one that swooped on the other jogger and me.

The comments on our previous story have yielded some interesting comments and context since the original report – including this one about a possible reason, and this one with a “coexisting with owls” link!

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West Seattle holiday scene: Caroling and Hotwire cocoa
December 10, 2010 5:14 pm
|    Comments Off on West Seattle holiday scene: Caroling and Hotwire cocoa
 |   Holidays | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

Not only was it the perfect holiday field trip – it was the first field trip ever, we’re told, for the Holy Rosary preschool class taught by Tauna Evans and Sara Velling. As you’ll notice in the background, the kids were headed for Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (WSB sponsor) for hot chocolate after caroling; Hotwire is just one short block from HR. Thanks to Shannon for sharing the photo.

HOLIDAY REMINDER: Don’t miss this weekend’s highlights on the West Seattle Holidays page – including Our Lady of Guadalupe‘s tree-lighting coming up at 7 tonight (35th/Myrtle) – and the Christmas Ship comes to West Seattle for three stops tomorrow (Saturday) night plus a fourth on Monday night.

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Traffic alert for downtown commuters: 1st Ave. S. lane closure
December 10, 2010 3:37 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Transportation | West Seattle news

This one was NOT planned, so we’re sharing it to warn everybody who heads home via 1st Avenue South southbound. Just in from SDOT:

The southbound, right hand lane of First Ave S, between the First Ave off-ramp from SR99 and Royal Brougham Way, was closed this afternoon for an emergency repair to a fiber optic line. At this time we do not have an estimated time for reopening the lane.

4:01 PM UPDATE: Another update from SDOT:

Construction crews have closed the right lane of southbound First Avenue S. between S. Dearborn Street and S. Royal Brougham Way to repair a damaged fiber optic line. The closure is not affecting the southbound off-ramp from the Alaskan Way Viaduct. It is too soon to determine how long the closure is expected to last. Repairs could last into the weekend.

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West Seattle Weather Watch: Mudslide BEFORE the deluge
December 10, 2010 1:21 pm
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   Fauntleroy | West Seattle news | West Seattle weather

Good thing this isn’t along a particularly busy road – it’s on dead-end Maplewood Place, south of Fauntleroy, in the downhill lane – but it’s a reminder that the ground is already saturated even before this weekend’s expected heavy rain arrives. The city had a landslide-awareness workshop in West Seattle just last weekend, in fact. Right now, all of Western Washington is on alert for a flood watch in effect Saturday afternoon through Monday afternoon, with suggestions that even here in the “lowlands,” we could get two inches or so of rain. (P.S. If a slide does happen, here’s the city’s list of who to call/what to do.)

ADDED 3:01 PM: Not long after we finished this and ran out to an interview, Seattle Public Utilities sent its own advisory about the looming storm, including this information of note:

In preparation for the storm, SPU has assigned extra field operations workers to report to work Saturday and Sunday, and has staged flood control equipment at various locations around the city. The Utility is also delivering about 500 pre-packed sandbags to the Meadowbrook and Delridge Community Center (250 at each), today.

SPU is reminding the public to play it safe by staying out of low-lying areas during times of heavy rains. If your basement is prone to flooding, please stay out of the basement until the risk of flooding has passed.

The public’s help is also requested in keeping Seattle’s 78,000 street drains – the city’s first line of defense against storms – free of debris. Cleaning a blocked street drain is simple: using a rake, just scrape the debris from the drain and place it in your yard waste cart.

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The 5th annual WSB West Seattle Christmas tree price survey
December 10, 2010 12:48 pm
|      20 COMMENTS
 |   Holidays | West Seattle news

treesgraphic.jpgWSB didn’t debut till Christmas Eve 2005, so it was too late for a Christmas tree price check that year, but we’ve done one every year since, dating back to 2006. So once again, by request, here’s the fifth annual edition – bigger and better than ever, thanks to the help of a Super Secret Tree Shopper who braved the downpours these past few days and sampled prices not only for trees but also for some of the other holiday trimmings. Disclaimer: You may find something different when you shop – we have no guarantee that prices and/or hours didn’t change the second our Super Secret Tree Shopper walked off the lot, or that they won’t change next week, or in the final days – this is just meant to be a guide, if you’re looking for help before figuring out where you’re going and how much you want to spend. North to South, here they are, after the jump:

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Chief Sealth Multicultural Night, baskets to pens to dancing
December 10, 2010 11:05 am
|      6 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

Story, photos, and video by Deanie Schwarz
Reporting for West Seattle Blog

27 groups and 85 students, including some Sealth alumni and a few students from other schools, were represented last night at Chief Sealth International High School‘s 4th annual Multicultural Night. The newly renovated school’s Galleria and Commons had throngs of students, families and neighbors milling through tables to learn more about the school’s clubs and programs, as well as classes offered at Chief Sealth.

The Chief Sealth PTSA held a raffle throughout the evening, with winners announced at the evenings stage performances. Community-donated prizes including certificates for Proletariat Pizza and Snap Fitness, as well as an iPod shuffle, back packs and the enormous food basket shown atop this story, filled with delectables:

Nan Johnson, woodshop-class instructor , explained that woodshop students sell their craftwork from their classes and even honor requests for customized engraving on items including, puzzles, pens and ornaments:

The pens shown above are made by the students on lathes, using imported woods such as zebra wood as well as colorful acrylics. The pens sell for $15/$20 each and, like other woodshop products, can be purchased through Ms. Johnson (ncjohnson@seattleschools.gov). Johnson says that her courses also use donated leftover construction materials which are then used to teach students construction and carpentry skills rather than going to the landfill. Inquiries for donations or pricing can be made to Ms. Johnson.

Also showcased last night: Global Visionaries, with students currently raising money for a two-week spring trip; the film festival we covered last week also was related to the program. Twelve Sealth students will be traveling in April and June with Sealth teacher Noah Zeichner to Guatemala,

In Guatemala, they will spend time on a coffee plantation among other experiences, learning about global environmental-justice issues. Meantime, a cheering crowd watched stage performances last night, including the Ukulele Club, Poetry Club, Filipino Club, Latino Dance Club, Hip Hop Club, and in this next clip, the Vietnamese/Cambo Club:

And dancing was very well-represented by talented students in the Polynesian Club and the Break Dance Club:

P.S. It’s school-tour season, and Sealth’s tours are listed on the school homepage.

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West Seattle Friday: OLG tree, Lafayette auction, Bells…
December 10, 2010 9:40 am
|    Comments Off on West Seattle Friday: OLG tree, Lafayette auction, Bells…
 |   West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

What’s it like when your house is Ground Zero for school-auction preparations? Just ask Cosmo. His mom shared that photo as items for the Lafayette Elementary “Play It Forward” playground project auction filled the room last night – they’ll be moved today, since the auction is 6 pm tonight at The Hall at Fauntleroy. We’re told Cosmo’s holding “the item he covets most, a box of games and toys from Atomic Boys.” (That Admiral shop is part of the WSB West Seattle Holiday Shopping Guide, by the way.) Full auction list here. One more non-holiday event: Last info night for Get Fit West Seattle at West Seattle Runner, 7 pm. Also today/tonight:

OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE TREE LIGHTING: 7 pm, 35th/Myrtle (map), the highest-elevation Christmas tree in the city lights up! OLG asks you to bring a nonperishable food donation for the St. Vincent de Paul Society.

BELLS OF THE SOUND: Holiday concert at Tibbetts United Methodist Church (WSB sponsor), 3940 41st SW, 7:30 pm (full details here)

HOLIDAY STYLE NIGHT BENEFITING WESTSIDE BABY: Ola Salon throws a party for charity, 5-8 pm. Free services, drinks and food, raffles, donation of $20 or more at the door suggested, all proceeds benefit WestSide Baby – reservations not required but suggested.

And tonight begins the second-and-final weekend for the Twelfth Night Productions (WSB sponsor) holiday show:

“It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play” is based on the classic 1946 Frank Capra film and being performed at historic Kenyon Hall, tonight and tomorrow at 7:30 pm, Sunday at 3 pm.

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West Seattle Crime Watch: Police search, after car break-in
December 10, 2010 7:31 am
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Crime | West Seattle news

Received early this morning from Thomas:

A silver Mazda Tribute was broken into in my neighborhood … around 10:45 pm. Our neighbors called the police, who were there
investigating around 11:15 pm.

The break-in occurred in the small group of houses directly behind the Home Depot … about 2 blocks up the hill on Webster (near the police department)

P.S. Like other crime reports we receive – as well as incidents covered by a WSB crew – this one is also linked from the WSB West Seattle Crime Watch page, where you’ll find other resources, including the most recent addition to the page – the latest Seattle Police tweets with stolen-car information from around the city.

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West Seattle Art Walk report #2: More holiday cheer, & a farewell
December 10, 2010 6:52 am
|    Comments Off on West Seattle Art Walk report #2: More holiday cheer, & a farewell
 |   West Seattle Art Walk | West Seattle news

(WSB photos by Ellen Cedergreen)
More holiday cheer in our second and final report from Thursday night’s West Seattle Art Walk (our first one is here) – these are the venues visited by WSB contributor Ellen Cedergreen. Above, we hear a certain CEO stood in for Santa Claus at The Kenney. At Seattle Yarn (5633 California SW), Mrs. Claus held court:

That’s Seattle Yarn’s Ruth Bowen with Mrs. Claus – also in the photo, Snooter-doots, which Mrs. Claus says each come with a name and a birthdate and are available for “adoption.” Meantime, holiday photos were the order of the night at West Side Yoga/Doga (6417 Fauntleroy Way) in Morgan Junction – but look closely at who’s under the lights:

WSYD was the site of the Yappy Howlidays Muttmixer for dogs and their people; photo proceeds benefited Dogs Deserve Better. The party was sponsored by West Seattle-headquartered CityDog Magazine, whose founder Brandie Ahlgren was there too:

Brandie’s sitting next to a computer because she was showing off the new look that you’ll see within a week or so on the CityDog website, with more ways for dog owners to connect with each other. Heading north, while most of our Junction photos are in Art Walk report #1, Ellen dropped by the Neo-Kitsch show reception at ArtsWest (WSB sponsor), a juried show with more than 50 participating artists:

That’s West Seattle artist Kelly Lyles showing off her “Black Velvet” (painted on velvet, of course). Kelly said her idea inspirations included Google. Last but not least, on the northernmost end of the current Art Walk map, the last WSAW (for now) at the Alki Bathhouse, because of city budget cuts (whose other effects on Alki Community Center/Bathhouse operations are explained here).

College student Logan Mohr, shown talking with a potential customer, showed a variety of work at the Bathhouse show; in addition to etchings and work in other media, he also designs and sells skateboards. One of the other artists showing at Alki Bathhouse was Su Harrington:

She told Ellen she’ll miss showing at Alki Bathhouse, since she lives nearby; this was her second show there. Next West Seattle Art Walk is the second Thursday in January (the 14th). As noted in our first report from last night, many Art Walk-highlighted works will be up at the venues (mapped here) throughout the month, and right now, that also means lots of art available for holiday shopping, even if you didn’t make it out last night.

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In case you heard the sirens overnight: Small Admiral District fire
December 10, 2010 5:23 am
|      12 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle fires | West Seattle news

In case you heard the sirens overnight, just after 3 am: What firefighters describe as a small fire at a house in the 2600 block of 49th SW (map) was put out quickly, but crews are still on the scene, cleaning up. They tell us the person home when it broke out got out OK; there’s some smoke damage and debris (like the pile you see in the foreground of our photo). They believe it was accidental.

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‘Tis the season for creativity: West Seattle Art Walk, report #1
December 9, 2010 10:34 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   West Seattle Art Walk | West Seattle news

Winning the Holiday Spirit Award tonight in The Junction during West Seattle Art Walk/Shop Late Thursday – the gleefully goofy Tacky Sweater Party at Twilight Artist Collective. (Compare to last year’s “tacky sweaters” here.) Even if you missed the party, you can stop in (4306 SW Alaska) and see the “12 Days of Christmas,” by 12 artists including members of the Twilight owner team. Smiles abounded along tonight’s Art Walk route for many reasons:

Posing with a few of her “Backyard Beauty and Beyond” photos at the Senior Center of West Seattle, that’s Trileigh, whose scenes of wild West Seattle have appeared many a time here on WSB – tonight was her first public (offline) exhibition! Kitty corner at Clementine (4447 California SW), West Seattle entrepreneur Cari Jones showed her new paintings:

We have to admit, though WSB is among her client firms, we didn’t know Cari was an artist too, along with everything else she’s up to (as detailed on the Clementine website)! Around the corner at Brunette Mix (4306 SW Oregon), tonight was a two-part event:

Brunette Mix proprietor BJ Prokopof is celebrating her third anniversary in The Junction – and hosting the art of Tony Taj. From there, scooting over to Ginomai artist studios on the north edge of The Junction, we peeked in on the silent auction we told you about this morning, raising money for the next Central America well-building trip on the West Seattle Christian Church schedule:

That gorgeous purse was donated by Funky Jane’s Consignment; we’ll be checking with WSCC to see how the auction went. Last but by no means least, over to Wallflower Custom Framing and Shooting Gallery:

Mark Morgan is one of 16 artists whose work is included in the “Puny Picture Show,” 2nd year in a row for Wallflower to feature small-size work by big-size talent. Remember, much of what is on display Art Walk night also remains on display for all or part of the following month at the participating venues, so every day/night can be an Art Walk day/night. We had a second crew out tonight, meantime, and that second round of December Art Walk scenes are coming up in a separate report! (Disclosure: Brunette Mix and Wallflower are WSB sponsors; Clementine, Twilight, and Funky Jane’s are featured advertisers in the WSB West Seattle Holiday Shopping Guide.)

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