West Seattle, Washington

19 Sunday

44℉

Spotlight Stories


  • Hit-run

    HIT-RUN DEATH SUSPECT: How he was found

  • Beached

    BEACHED SUV: Why is it still there?

  • Bridge

    BRIDGE PROJECT: Road-closure plan

OK, guess we can’t get away with not mentioning this one
January 30, 2009 5:39 pm
|      8 COMMENTS
 |   Alaskan Way Viaduct

We saw this earlier today and thought “yawn, we’ve seen that done before on other topics.” SCENIC_Alaskan_Way_AWV1.jpgBut more than a few people have sent it to us via e-mail, Twitter, and Facebook, so we’re thinking maybe it’s worth sharing in case you haven’t seen it yet. The site was just registered this morning so clearly a goofy reaction to the early-am earthquake. Let us be perhaps the last to introduce you to: HasTheViaductCollapsedYet.com. (Please forgive us if at any point AFTER this it turns into a redirect to a scam, porn site, or RickRoll … ) P.S. Looks like ownership was claimed, here.

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Suspected pet-theft alert: Shiba Inu missing
January 30, 2009 3:17 pm
|      28 COMMENTS
 |   Pets | West Seattle news

At left, that’s Butch the Shiba Inu, for whom Ray and Mary Eldridge are frantically searching right now. They e-mailed to say, “We believe someone stole our dog, a black and tan Shiba Inu … from in front of the West Seattle Library this afternoon. He looks like a miniature Malamute, weighs about 22 lbs. He has a microchip in him, and tags with our phone number. Please be on the lookout for him and call us if you see him. Our number is 206-914-1290.” They say they’re reporting it to police as well. UPDATE: They clarify, this happened outside the High Point library.

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Current and former mayors at West Seattle High School on Monday
January 30, 2009 3:07 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle politics | West Seattle schools

This just in from the King County Public Health department:

In the span of 20 years, Seattle’s School-Based Health Centers have grown from a modest pilot program at Rainier Beach High School to a system that now serves the health needs of 5,000 students every year across 14 Seattle School District middle and high schools.

On Monday, February 2, City of Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels, Former City of Seattle Mayor Norm Rice, Seattle Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Maria Goodloe-Johnson and Public Health – Seattle & King County Director and Health Officer Dr. David Fleming will join health care providers and community partners to celebrate this 20-year milestone in providing high-quality, comprehensive adolescent health care that improves the health of our community and promotes school success for our youth. …

* Celebration: At 10:30 a.m., Mayor Nickels, local officials and community partners will meet in the school library for a celebration and remarks, including testimonials from current students who use the School-Based Health Centers.

The announcement also mentions that WSHS principal Bruce Bivins will participate in the event, along with Lib Kratz, a Nurse Practitioner from Sealth Teen Health Center.

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West Seattle Weekend Lineup: Three “super” days
January 30, 2009 2:46 pm
|    Comments Off on West Seattle Weekend Lineup: Three “super” days
 |   Fun stuff to do | WS culture/arts | WS Weekend Lineup

wswllicon3.pngDrama! ’60s rock nostalgia! Yoga to help an ailing teacher! Free coffee and breakfast treats for everyone who helps with the Admiral Adopt-A-Street cleanup! And of course, West Seattle Super Bowl parties! All happening in West Seattle now through Sunday night, more than 40 events ahead in the Super Bowl weekend edition of the West Seattle Weekend Lineup (sponsored by Skylark Cafe and Club):Read More

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From the WSB Blogs page: This might make you laugh too
January 30, 2009 2:04 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   West Seattle online | West Seattle people

As you probably know, for more than two years WSB has had a page (see it here) which points you to the latest updates from nearly 100 blogs by West Seattle-based writers. Among the latest links: This post by Ian Lurie, from his always-snappy site Conversation Marketing — geared toward marketing writers, but it made us laugh; maybe just because we get so much spam, it hit home.

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Alki-based boutique Coastal closing University Village location
January 30, 2009 12:09 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

Out of the inbox: Coastal, the Alki-based boutique that expanded to the north end a couple years ago, just sent this to its e-mail list:

For the past two years, we have loved being a part of University Village; enjoying new customers and giving our Alki customers another place to shop Coastal on the north end of town. However, at the end of February, we will be closing the University Village Coastal and moving exclusively back to the beach.

A similar move was made last year by Capers, which closed its Fremont expansion location to focus exclusively on its flagship store in The Junction. ADDED 9:40 PM: We e-mailed Coastal’s owners to ask if they had any additional comment – here’s what Christy and Sarah wrote back:

While we are sad to be closing Coastal at University Village , we are very much looking forward to focusing our efforts on the Alki Beach store and bringing even more fun and energy to our West Seattle community. We intend to be on Alki for a very long time and appreciate the support we’ve received from our customers there for the past 5 ½ years.

During this time of economic instability, we’d like to encourage our friends and neighbors to continue to shop locally to ensure the success of the small businesses we all love and value.

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Science+math=fun: Meet the Gatewood Elementary robotics team
January 30, 2009 11:24 am
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Gatewood | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

(From left, students “Skate,” “Crash,” “K-Mart,” “Bubbles,” “Splat,” “Pie,” “Gears,” and “Panic,” with robots Trek, No Name, Wall-E, and Robo – the stuffed monkey at middle is Swinger)
One of the West Seattle schools scheduled to get a significant influx of new students as a result of last night’s closure vote is Gatewood Elementary. Just so happens, hours before the vote, we were visiting Gatewood at the invitation of Erik Christensen, who volunteers with its Robotics Team. What? You thought robotics was mostly for older kids? No way! These young creators are working with a Lego-based system, in a setup like this:

The Gatewood Robotics Team meets after school on Thursday afternoons; its members are getting ready for a big outing to the UW next week, so we stopped by in advance to meet the students (who wanted to be known by their “robot-building” nicknames) and their robots, and thought you’d like to meet them too. (If you’re school-shopping for next year, by the way, Gatewood has tours coming up in the next few weeks; dates/times are listed here; the full tour list for Seattle Public Schools can be found atop our Events page.)

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Update: Post-earthquake bridge inspections – no problems
January 30, 2009 10:02 am
|    Comments Off on Update: Post-earthquake bridge inspections – no problems
 |   Alaskan Way Viaduct | Safety | Uncategorized | West Seattle news

From SDOT:

Responding to this morning’s earthquake, the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) is inspecting the city’s elevated roadway structures for any possible damage. The department has already examined the Ballard, Fremont, University and Spokane Street bridges and has found no indications of damage from the earthquake. The inspections will continue with assessments of the Magnolia, Emerson Street and Jose Rizal bridges, the 15th Avenue NW Interchange and the Spokane Street Viaduct.

Given the small size of the earthquake, the department is carefully examining a key number of its bridges, viaducts and overpasses. If any earthquake damage is discovered, SDOT will then escalate its inspection to all citywide elevated roadway structures.

The Washington State Department of Transportation is responsible for inspecting the Alaskan Way Viaduct and is already at work on that important elevated structure.

ADDED 12:16 PM: SDOT has sent an update:

Inspections of elevated roadway structures across the city
by the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) revealed no damage
from this morning’s earthquake. … In addition to visual inspections, SDOT performed test openings on the four movable bridges and found all systems operating correctly. This testing covered the Ballard, Fremont, University and Spokane Street bridges.

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Help Waunda get healthy: Friends seek auction donations
January 30, 2009 9:04 am
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   How to help | West Seattle people

Friends and family are working to help raise money for a woman known to many who shop and do business in The Junction — Waunda from the Sports Junction (in the breezeway on the west side of California, south of Oregon). Lee Blanchette explains:

Waunda has been at the Sports Junction since the 80’s and is the epitome of West Seattle. She has done more things for more people than anyone you will ever know. On October 31st Waunda was diagnosed with TTP (thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura): A rare life-threatening disease involving embolism and thrombosis (plugging) of the small blood vessels in the brain and has spent the last 2 ½ months at Swedish Hospital. She is finally home but has many months of rehabilitation ahead of her. We will be having a silent auction February 7th at the Rocksport from 7 to 9 pm, followed by live music throughout the evening. We are asking local businesses to donate to the auction to help with Waunda’s recovery. Please call the following numbers or contact her daughter Deanise at the Rocksport.

Tara 253 353-6622
Lee 206 898-6986

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West Seattle stories from this morning’s Kitsap County quake
January 30, 2009 8:37 am
|      19 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news

We have a few notes from people shaken up by the 4.5 quake this morning in Kitsap County; here’s its official page on the UW quake-tracking website. Dan Riley, in a 5th-floor apartment along Avalon, described it as: “Ripple ripple, Big Jolt, ripple ripple.” That area may have shook more than most: According to Talani from Stor-More (WSB sponsor), at least one TV station is roaming around here looking for quake stories; she posted on Facebook (where you’ll find us as WS Blog), “We just got interviewed by Channel 7 at the Alki Starbucks about the earthquake”; her original quake report was, “We rocked for a long time … lying in bed totally still and yet both moving and waking up…so wild! I know Luna Park is on pylinks, and it seems we rocked longer than others who just felt a boom.” LeeAnne Beres, near The Junction, felt it too: “Our whole house shook for 12-15 seconds and we had just enough time to figure out what was happening, look at each other and say “earthquake!” before it stopped. It was nothing like the rolling waves of the 2001 Nisqually quake, but definitely enough to make our 1915 house sway significantly. Lisa points out that the USGS is interested in reports from anyone who felt it; you can send yours in by going here and clicking the “Did you feel it? Tell us!” link. Since the last somewhat notable quake, the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network has upgraded its “recent earthquakes” page – here’s where to go (worth bookmarking) if you ever think you felt something but weren’t sure if it was a quake. ADDED 12:02 PM: Cool page of web-based seismographs that show the motion pattern – like this one that’s at Vashon HS.

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Junction parking review update: Want to take a tour?
January 30, 2009 2:45 am
|      9 COMMENTS
 |   Junction parking review | Transportation | West Seattle news

New information from Dante Taylor, who’s managing the upcoming Junction parking review that may — or may not — lead to signs like the one at left. Our last update was January 13th, when Taylor appeared at the Junction Neighborhood Organization (JuNO) meeting and said the first phase would involve both informational mailers and walking tours. If you live in the area that’s being studied (Dakota to Brandon, 47th to 39th, plus the Triangle area) you should receive a mailer within the next week. As for the walking tours – Taylor would like to hear from you if you are interested in participating – it’ll involve scheduling a time to join a small group walking around the area and discussing the reality of the parking situation, good and bad, and whether any specific “tools” might be needed to improve the situation – e-mail him at JunctionParking@seattle.gov ASAP.

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National notice for Seattle Lutheran soccer standout
January 30, 2009 2:26 am
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle schools | WS & Sports

From Bil Hood at Seattle Lutheran High School:

Congratulations to Seattle Lutheran High School student Ashley Shaw! Ashley was featured in this month’s ESPN Rise Magazine for her achievements in this past soccer season. Ashley ranked #3 in the state for most goals scored and the SLHS Saints team took 3rd in state. Look for plenty more where that came from; Ashley is just a freshman and the team will be returning all but one starter next year.

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Seattle Public Schools closure vote, as it happened (video added)
January 29, 2009 5:53 pm
|      46 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle school closure | West Seattle schools

(12:42 am note: Video clips have been added to the coverage below, at the spots relevant to when they were shot. Also: Here’s the official district news release)

8:34 PM UPDATE: It’s all over – including the shouting. Just small groups talking, hugging in the hallway (video clip above, added 8:47). Topline to everything below: The closure plan passes largely as-is, with Cooper Elementary‘s program to close, Cooper’s building to become the new home of Pathfinder K-8, the once-closed building that has housed Pathfinder for more than a decade – Genesee Hill – to be shuttered. All this takes effect as of the next school year, and planning/transitioning/communicating is to begin immediately.

8:02 PM UPDATE: Bass has said she wishes there were more time, to work out a better plan. The final vote is getting closer. Bass says after this, she wants to speak with anyone and everyone about the assignment plan. She says it’s leadership to stand alone sometimes. She says she wanted to give money to Pathfinder over Sealth (and other things), but “it wasn’t popular.” Final closure vote (with no changes to buildings/programs that were to be changed/closed): 2 no 5 yes. Most of the crowd is leaving and heading out into the hallway, chanting – there was some yelling here in the main room too. Police are hovering. People are shouting hey hey, ho ho, school board members have got to go. You will be able to see that part on the TV newscasts – we’re staying put in case something actually happens in here informationally. (Added 9:15 pm – our clip from the departure of most of the crowd members, before those last pieces of the proposal were voted on)

The voting isn’t over yet – there are policy votes that have to be made in order to facilitate the main motion. There are people in the audience in here saying “Honor the 2006 Board member to the SBOC” (photo added above); now cheering in the hallway. Police and security have not all left the main area here. The chanting in the foyer has moved on to “these closures are racist.” The first of the accompanying motions has passed. Now, the motion that merges what will be the former Cooper reference area into the Sanislo reference area. (“Sanislo is full!” came a shout from the audience, which is true.) Motion passes. Meeting over.

7:51 PM UPDATE: Now, to the final vote on the official plan, which, for West Seattle, now remains: Cooper Elementary program closes (autism programs stay in the building), Pathfinder K-8 moves into Cooper’s building, Genesee Hill building closes. West Seattle APP elementary students would be reassigned to Thurgood Marshall, where approximately half the current APP elementary population will move (the other half remaining at Lowell). The board members are now making their final statements, Chow first, “now is the time” for action; must deal with “brutal facts.” Crowd now shouting. Chow is shouting to some degree, too, particularly the phrase “25-million-dollar deficit.” It’s clear she will vote yes. Sundquist has just made a speech, saying he too isn’t happy about Cooper, but that it’s time to finally move on with getting Pathfinder into another building. (here’s the clip – with heckling throughout)

Now Mary Bass is crying – she says she tried not to lose her composure.

7:41 PM UPDATE: Final amendment of the night before the final vote – Maier proposes granting “priority assignment” to students who, because of the eventual vote, will not be able to attend their current schools next year. By the way, if you’re having trouble keeping score, so far the “final recommendations” have not been altered – the only amendments that have passed affect some of the side effects of the potential eventual vote. And again, Martin-Morris and Bass vote no on this. It’s been a 5-2 split on everything.

7:32 PM UPDATE: Martin-Morris reads his amendment to keep Genesee Hill open and cancel closing Cooper. He says “it’s the right thing to do” and says closing it sends the wrong message: (video added 10:19 pm)

Mary Bass seconds. Sundquist says he won’t support it. Amendment fails, again only with Martin-Morris and Bass voting yes. Sundquist now reading his “reassign Cooper” amendment. “TO WORSE SCHOOLS!” shouted from the audience; Sundquist is called “a patronizing S.O.B.” Audience unruly again. People yelling, “Racist!” DeBell trying to quiet them down. Carr says the decision about Cooper was “the hardest” one to make but thinks Sundquist’s amendment will at least keep some of the students together. Vote on the amendment: everyone yes except Martin-Morris and Bass.

7:24 PM UPDATE: Martin-Morris’s update that would break Summit (which otherwise is closing) into K-8 and 9-12 at other sites, is now being considered. Summit families yell “We don’t want it!” It almost went without a second, then Bass seconded it. Martin-Morris’s update to cancel the Cooper program closure will be next (technically it would cancel the Genesee Hill building closure, which then would keep Pathfinder there, and Cooper in its building). By the way, besides us, several others are covering this meeting live via Twitter – twitter.com/phylfletch and twitter.com/sableverity among them. DeBell says he has been sorely frustrated by his inability to “find Summit a home.” From the audience: “Find us a home.” DeBell says Summit is “caring” and has been “pushed out to the edge of the district” but “some of the tough facts we are facing in the district right now fall heavily on Summit K-12 .. the K-12 model is very difficult to fit into a building unless it is a secondary school, and we have very few (of those) now.” He also says the transportation costs are challenging. Summit vote: Martin-Morris and Bass are again the only yes votes, it fails.

7:15 PM UPDATE: Vote on Mary Bass’s amendment for Central Cluster changes to the closure proposal is coming up. Sundquist says he will not support it. Martin-Morris says he will. DeBell says he will not. Shouts from the crowd. DeBell: “There is too much capacity in the Central Cluster.” Bass, Martin-Morris are the only yes votes; amendment fails. Boos from the crowd. This means among other things APP at Lowell will NOT be kept together – West Seattle APP students will be going to Thurgood Marshall (unless the final motion fails). The amendments failure triggers a Carr amendment regarding letting students who live in the Lowell walk zone to attend APP at Lowell. That amendment passes with all yes votes except Martin-Morris and Bass.

7:00 PM UPDATE: Now they are moving to the vote. Sundquist is reading motions. Then each member gets to read his/her amendment. Mary Bass reads hers first and is explaining at length why she proposed changes to the Central Cluster plan. If it goes the way that we’ve been told, each amendment will be voted on individually before a final vote – anything that is approved, becomes a change to the plan in the final vote. Now Cheryl Chow is recounting the history of the African American Academy, which is proposed for closure. “Unfortunately,” she says, “the program is and has been underenrolled .. and the school is not succeeding as all would want. Even if (it is closed),” she says, she believes the “Afrocentric” culture will continue in the building. Chow says the building will still be called the African American Academy unless the board votes to change it; much shouting ensues from the crowd. DeBell now says, please stop interrupting the meeting.

READ THE REST OF OUR AS-IT-HAPPENED COVERAGERead More

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Fauntleroy Place sale followup: What Seattle Capital, BlueStar say
January 29, 2009 5:14 pm
|      37 COMMENTS
 |   Development | Triangle | West Seattle news

wholehole.jpg

(October 2008 photo by WSB contributing photojournalist Christopher Boffoli)
We’ve now heard back from both Seattle Capital, which owns the Fauntleroy Place (Whole Foods project) site, and BlueStar, which has been its developer, so we have new information following up on today’s report that the project’s been sold – including how long the site is likely to stay idle, and what this all means for BlueStar’s other West Seattle projects – read on:Read More

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Update: Smoke trouble at Poggie Tavern in The Junction
January 29, 2009 4:32 pm
|      9 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle fires | West Seattle news | WS breaking news

Photo by WSB contributing photojournalist Christopher Boffoli; also on the scene, WSB co-publisher Patrick Sand, who says fire crews have now traced the smoke (earlier report here) to an area around the electrical panel by the back door of Poggie Tavern (on the alley, as you can see in Christopher’s photo). They’re using a chainsaw to get close enough to put it out. As mentioned earlier, the fire units are taking up a lane on California between Alaska and Edmunds, meaning one lane remains, so avoid that block for now if you can. Also, City Light has turned off the Poggie’s power, so it’s closed for now; Patrick checked on neighboring businesses and they are NOT affected. ADDED 5:01 PM: Patrick reports that firefighters had to cut a hole in the roof too. He’ll be adding video of the chainsaw work that was required to try to reach the source of the smoke trouble. ADDED 6:14 PM: Fire investigators say preliminary indication is that an improperly discarded cigarette is to blame for what happened. The damage was confined largely to the rear facade; the tavern may be closed a few days, it’s estimated (we will check again tomorrow with any ownership/management reps we can find). Here’s our video from the scene:

ADDED 10:14 PM: Went by Poggie on the way back from school-district HQ … already reopened for business.

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Alki Homestead fire aftermath: Prospective buyer “still interested”
January 29, 2009 4:29 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Alki Homestead | West Seattle news | West Seattle restaurants

That’s per Rebekah Denn in Devouring Seattle at seattlepi.com – she mentioned this morning that chef Johnny Zhu had just taken a new job as executive chef at Monsoon East in Bellevue, and also noted our earlier report that he was believed to be the prospective buyer of the Alki Homestead. She updated at mid-afternoon after talking with him, writing: “He and Rose are indeed still interested in Alki Homestead, but the fire there has set their timeline back. They’re pursuing it — and looking for investors, btw — but it’s not a done deal.” (As we reported 1/19, owner Tom Lin believes it’ll take at least six months to fix and reopen the Homestead.)

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Fire call in The Junction; traffic alert on Delridge
January 29, 2009 4:02 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   West Seattle news | WS breaking news

FIRE CALL: Address is 4719 California SW, which checks to Taqueria Guaymas but we’re hearing scanner traffic also discussing Husky Deli. En route to check it out. Traffic note – There’s only one lane open in that block of California, between Alaska and Edmunds. Avoid TFN. ADDED 4:12 PM: Apparently it’s a possible heater fire in Poggie Tavern, maybe on the roof. We’re checking on how, if, adjacent businesses are affected. (Just heard fire crews on the scanner say they’ve made it into the attic and can’t find signs of fire/smoke yet.) ADDED 4:19 PM: Poggie patrons tell co-publisher Patrick that it started with a smell of smoke detected in the tavern and in Guaymas – someone called the Fire Department, which continues to try to figure out where that’s coming from, but no one seems to have been evacuated, the businesses remain open.

TRAFFIC ALERT: Thanks to Bogie for texting to warn “people heading home” about a precariously positioned tree on Delridge near Dawson (map), “looks like a car may have hit it” … We’ll be checking that out too.

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2 notes from West Seattle High School: Play tonight, 5/31 run
January 29, 2009 2:46 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle schools | WS culture/arts

OPENING NIGHT: Thanks to those who’ve e-mailed us to say tonight’s opening night for the three-night run of West Seattle High School‘s student-directed plays “Reverse Transcription” and “No Exit,” 7:30 pm tonight, Friday, and Saturday in the WSHS Theater (tickets $5 at the door).

5/31 RUN – AND MORE? Checking the WSHS website, we noticed something that’s interesting for more than 1 reason:

Save the Date! WSHS PTSA 5K Fun Run/Walk on May 31, 2009

This fun community event will be held in partnership with the City of Seattle and their “Summer Streets” (car-free) day on Alki. Mark your calendars, tell your family and friends, and get ready for a healthy start to summer at Seattle’s most beautiful park, West Seattle’s own Alki Beach. Watch Westside Notes and this website [WSHS site] for more information about how to sign up!

First we’d heard of a date being set for a Car-Free Day this year (here’s our coverage of last September’s Alki Car-Free Day). Will be pursuing more information from the city; we had noted that a “Summer Streets” briefing was on the agenda for the February 12th Parks Board meeting. Meantime, discovered something ELSE – till February 6, you can take this online survey to tell the city what you thought of the 2008 Car-Free Days. THURSDAY NIGHT UPDATE: The mayor’s office confirms there is a “Celebrate Seattle Streets” event in West Seattle on May 31st. More details to come.

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Welcoming a new WSB sponsor: Snap Fitness
January 29, 2009 1:57 pm
|      5 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle businesses | West Seattle online

Today we’re welcoming one of our newest sponsors: Snap Fitness, which recently opened in Jefferson Square. Owners Jim Flynn and MJ Benavente (left) – who live in Gatewood – say there’s lots of gyms out there you could join, but they think Snap is the best because of their philosophy that exercise should complement your health. MJ says her background in medicine taught her one thing – fitness is preventive medicine. She says a regular exercise routine is a proactive way to keep yourself in good health. That’s why she and Jim say that Snap Fitness has a numbers of ways to help you stay fit no matter how busy you are. Snap is a no-contract club, offering 24/7 access to the equipment. Snap also believes in reaching out to its members before they get to the gym. Free fitness assessments with a personal trainer are part of your membership package, along with online tips about keeping up good nutrition habits to go along with your workout. Also, Jim says you can get up to speed fast: Snap has trainers who can show you easy routines that you can do on day one. They also offer a 30-day money-back guarantee, and your West Seattle Snap membership lets you use any Snap Fitness center in the US. (Here’s where to look up its other locations.) Not only do Jim and MJ live in West Seattle, they also are members of the West Seattle Junction Association, they’ve volunteered for Community Harvest of Southwest Seattle, and they belong to the Seattle Audubon Society. Snap Fitness is in lower Jefferson Square (map), online at snapfitness.com/seattlewest, or you can call 206-299-1597. Thanks to Snap Fitness for joining the WSB sponsor team; see the full lineup here, same place to find information on becoming part of it.

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Seattle school-closure vote tonight: District says it’ll be on TV
January 29, 2009 1:07 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   West Seattle school closure | West Seattle schools

If you can’t make it to Seattle Public Schools HQ for tonight’s special school board meeting to vote on the closures/changes plans (and the amendments announced yesterday), district spokesperson Patti Spencer just confirmed it WILL be live on cable channel 26 (no live online stream, though; archived video is posted here later). Live broadcasts are not always availabe for meetings held outside the regular first/third Wednesday framework, so we checked. This meeting will NOT include public comment – the board will consider the amendments, then the plan (whether amended or not) and associated policy changes that would be required for certain proposals to be allowed. The meeting starts at 6 pm; we’ll be posting updates live from district HQ (covering the entire plan, not just the WS aspects, since WS families are involved in other elements such as the APP split too).

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Fauntleroy Place update: Project’s being sold
January 29, 2009 12:23 pm
|      27 COMMENTS
 |   Development | West Seattle news

fplaceastside.jpgThanks to Robert for the link – Times reports Fauntleroy Place project is being sold. May explain why BlueStar hadn’t been returning our phone calls/e-mails (though a rep replied Tuesday he’d call Wednesday, and didn’t). Will add any additional details we find; we have a call out to Seattle Capital (described as one of the current co-owners, though county records still list Fauntleroy Place LLC, with BlueStar‘s address, as site owner). As we reported Tuesday, Whole Foods reiterated its commitment to the West Seattle project (but of course that didn’t necessarily imply the developer would remain the same). ADDED 12:51 PM: King County online records show 8 liens related to the property filed in the past month and a half, with parties including construction and engineering firms. Details of the liens are not available online, just the names and dates. ADDED 1:12 PM: For document-reading fans, here’s a copy of the 10-page lease agreement filed last March, between Whole Foods and Fauntleroy Place LLC. ADDED 1:46 PM: Here’s a document that shows FP transferred the Deed of Trust and other key interests to Seattle Capital last June. 3:49 PM UPDATE: Have just heard back both from Seattle Capital via e-mail and BlueStar by phone, writing a separate update, will post the link in this report when it’s done.

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West Seattle Crime Watch followup: Burglar’s plea, sentence
January 29, 2009 11:08 am
|    Comments Off on West Seattle Crime Watch followup: Burglar’s plea, sentence
 |   Crime | West Seattle news

Last November, alerted by a hovering helicopter, we reported on the search for, and arrest of, a man who had broken into a Lincoln Park-area home — where a woman and her two children were asleep — shortly after trying to break into the Colman Pool complex in the park. He turned out to be 41-year-old Richard Lovejoy, a registered sex offender (for rape convictions; photo at left was from his page on the sex-offender-search website) from Arbor Heights who also had been convicted previously of burglary, harassment, and drug possession. After covering the original court action in the case in November (WSB report here), we hadn’t followed up till now — and discovered that Lovejoy pleaded guilty to 1 count of burglary (the second was dropped) on December 31st and was sentenced last Friday. Court documents confirm that Lovejoy was sent immediately to prison to begin a sentence of 5 years, 3 months (the lower end of the “standard range” for the crime, 63 to 84 months, per court documents).

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Police arrest man for trying to pimp teens at West Seattle motel
January 29, 2009 9:40 am
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 |   Crime | West Seattle news

Thanks to Trick for pointing out this Times article about prostitution-related arrests in West Seattle earlier this month. Here’s additional information we’ve found on the case: We checked the jail register, and the 33-year-old man arrested for trying to pimp two 15-year-old girls at Seattle West Inn and Suites in the Triangle (West Seattle’s only motel, aka the former Travelodge), Toda M. Robinson, is still behind bars, with bail set at $100,000. We also downloaded the court documents for more details; he is charged with two counts of promoting sexual abuse of a minor, and the documents note that Robinson has an “extensive criminal history” including “at least six crimes of violence.” (The state court-system search engine has 110 results for his name, dating back to 1991, when he would have been as young as the two girls involved in this case.) The court documents say police arranged the location for the sting, booking a room at the motel after answering a CL ad, and made the arrests after Robinson dropped the girls off – they tracked him down in the parking lot of the 35th/Avalon KFC with a 16-year-old girl in the car, which was described as emanating “a strong odor of marijuana.” One of the girls told police that he usually gets half their money and has at least 3 other teenagers and 10 adult prostitutes working for him.

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