West Seattle, Washington
25 Thursday
(CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE NEW OVERNIGHT COVERAGE POST - THIS ONE IS "CLOSED")
(video added 5:13 pm, shot just after 5 o'clock in Upper Fauntleroy)
ORIGINAL 3:26 PM POST: Multiple reports from various areas of West Seattle (and, via Twitter, elsewhere in the city). Web/radio weather celebrity Cliff Mass explains what it's all about. The official National Weather Service "forecast discussion" posted minutes ago alludes to it too - insists it'll turn to rain by midnight - and warns of a windy night ahead. Keep us updated on what's happening where you are ...
4:55 PM UPDATE: Sticking on the top of the car now. (minutes later) And on the street.
5:26 PM UPDATE: Thanks for sending photos! First one, from Lari at 53rd/Charlestown (map):
And this one from Creighton, taken in The Junction:
We're getting lots of snow reports via Facebook (we're WS Blog) and Twitter (@westseattleblog), too. Some areas say they have almost an inch already!
6:07 PM UPDATE: If you haven't gone outside, do note that - as some have observed already - this is NOT the same snow that fell last month. This is wet, slippery, slushy, and sloppy. But to reiterate, this is what the 3:30 forecast update said - half an hour after this started:
TONIGHT...RAIN OR SNOW THIS EVENING BECOMING ALL RAIN BY MIDNIGHT. BECOMING WINDY. SNOW ACCUMULATION UP TO 1 INCH...EXCEPT UP TO 2 INCHES WEST OF PUGET SOUND. TEMPERATURES RISING INTO THE UPPER 30S TO LOWER 40S. SOUTHWEST WIND RISING TO 20 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS TO NEAR 45 MPH.
MONDAY...WINDY. RAIN IN THE MORNING...THEN SHOWERS LIKELY IN THE AFTERNOON. HIGHS IN THE MID TO UPPER 40S. SOUTHWEST WIND 20 TO 30 MPH.
6:25 PM UPDATE: Reminder that if you are wondering about the bridge, the cameras (and others) are all on our WSB Traffic page. From Morgan Junction, Tamsen sent this photo taken within the past half-hour:
Pamela sent this photo captioned "High Point snow" with the note, "We ARE going to school tomorrow - no matter what!"
6:52 PM UPDATE: Scott C has measured more than an inch already (he says the mark is "submerged"):
At least two inches of snow on Pigeon Point, according to Lora from Hotwire Coffee (WSB sponsor) - here's her photographic proof:
Via Twitter, Nathan just reported: "gnarly driving on the west seattle bridge now, about 10 feet of visibility, wind and lots of snow." Here's the latest live image from the camera pointing east on The Bridge (refresh for the latest view):
7:03 PM UPDATE: Guess what! The National Weather Service updated its forecast last hour (which usually isn't done between mid-afternoon and late evening) to add a "Winter Weather Advisory," in effect till 9 pm.
7:20 PM UPDATE: Also rest assured, we're watching the various official sources for any hint of possible changes tomorrow, but given that the forecast continues to insist this will go away, don't expect any decisions to be made before very early morning. We'll be on watch here well into the night, and then again very early. Meantime - besides the Twitter-watching link we shared earlier, you can also see some of the West Seattle snow tweets on the WSB Twitter page (also catching others' tweets that mention WS). And let us know if you see a snowplow/sander - we're still awaiting any official city word of deployment.
7:33 PM UPDATE: Multiple reports of satellite-TV (DirecTV) outage. On a forecast note: Cliff Mass has published an update - he says it will continue snowing till 10 or 11 pm.
7:45 PM UPDATE: From the scanner, all police precincts are "chaining up." Comment from Dan reports a power outage:
Power is out on Sylvan Way between 16th and (it looks like) at least 28th SW. No power at the traffic lights or for the ARCO/Shell stations @Delridge and Sylvan.
City Light power-outage phone line says there are "numerous" storm-related outages citywide - too numerous to list specifically. The City Light website for power outages, meantime, lists nothing. Also NOT reflecting any storm-related trouble, the Metro home page (at least as of now). And another road report via Twitter: "SW Oregon to SW Dawson very slippery uphill btw delridge and 16th SW." Also for the record, just re-timestamped this post to 5:22 pm (it originally was published at 3:26 pm) so it will appear at the top of the home page TFN (we'll open a late-night post in a few hours, but this will keep going till then). Another photo now from Scott C, who says his "neighbors have been busy!"
This snowman photo's from Lisa L, who reports "We built a Shriner snowman!"
Just measured almost 2" of snow at WSB HQ in Upper Fauntleroy.
8:19 PM UPDATE: Two things - First, in comments, Yumpears reports seeing sand trucks on The Bridge, going eastbound:
Just drove home from Children’s Theater in lower Queen Anne. We were in an old toyota camry and made it just fine. Saw two sand truck on the high bridge heading east about 15 minutes ago. The westbound lanes don’t appear to be sanded yet.
Second, since we currently are using the "newest info at the bottom of the post" format to keep it close to the comments, which are full of important information too, we are going to try something new for the people who keep refreshing and then having to scroll down - We are putting a link at the top of the post (right under the headline) that will always take you to the start of the newest thing we've added. Might help a little. It will be in place in a few minutes. But right now, the first city news release of the night:
Facing the first major snowfall of 2009, the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) is aggressively plowing, de-icing and sanding arterials around the city. The department advises motorists to drive with care as they move around Seattle on Sunday evening. Currently, the main arterials are slushy but passable.
SDOT currently has 16 trucks plowing, sanding and de-icing city streets, with two devoted solely to the West Seattle Bridge and the Alaskan Way Viaduct. Within the next hour there will be 24 trucks total clearing major city roadways. Though rain and rising temperatures are forecasted, the department will work through the night to clear primary and secondary arterials, with an eye on routes for the morning commute.
8:37 PM UPDATE: Photo and bus update from Paul Gould:
Paul says: "Metro 54 bus stuck on Barton at 38th (by water tower) heading uphill. It is one of the articulated buses, apparently with bald tires, as the rear tires have zero traction. The driver has been trying for quite a while and some of the residents had to move their cars out of the way. He has now slid his back wheels into the curb. He may have to wait until it starts raining." No weather updates on Metro home page yet, if you're wondering. We sent County Executive Ron Sims a message via Twitter asking if the Metro web team is heading in to do something about that; no reply - most recent tweet was about a Shoreline blog post re: jail-site fight. (later note: he did reply at 8:52, "We're working on it")
8:55 PM UPDATE: First word of a closure/change for tomorrow morning - Jason at The Bohemian e-mailed this:
Due to the weather, and the possibility of a more severe development... We are closed tomorrow for a.m. service. The Bohemian will be open at 4 pm for Happy Hour and Supper service @ 5 pm.
As many West Seattleites are all too well aware, tomorrow is supposed to be trash and yard-waste pickup day for many neighborhoods - also, recycling catch-up day for many who are still awaiting the delayed Friday (Saturday) pickup - here's what we reported about that earlier today. No word YET of any city changes on that front; we'll of course be on the lookout. For now, trash cans and Christmas trees are gathering a fresh coat of snow:
Second photo is courtesy Jack Loblaw. Inspires us to suggest we may be to blame for First Snow '09 - we took down and put out our tree this afternoon, shortly before the snow began; back on December 13th, the first round of snow started hours after we BOUGHT said tree and brought it home.
9:04 PM UPDATE: Both the county and city have finally started sending out some snow info via Twitter. (You can find the county at @kingcountynews and the city at @sdotsnow - those links take you to the websites that archive the Twitter messages, so you can read them even if you don't have a Twitter account.) Uh oh - our favorite ex-co-worker meteorologist Walter Kelley from Channel 13 (they do a 9 pm newscast on cable channel 10) says up to three MORE inches before the snow stops?! 2 bus tidbits in the past few minutes from that King County Twitter account:
Some of the buses on the road this evening are encountering difficult driving conditions, but none are on snow routing yet ... KC Staff will be working overnight to chain buses if necessary and to drive the bus routes to see where problems await the buses
9:33 PM UPDATE: More info via Twitter. First, from the county (@kingcountynews): "Metro Transit is experiencing some snow-related service disruptions this evening, but there are not many buses on the road at this time." Second, from the City of Tacoma (@CityofTacoma), a note that the snow has changed to rain down there; that's the direction this came from at mid-afternoon, so perhaps there indeed is hope! (Also, the county info has just appeared here in short news-release form.)
9:45 PM UPDATE: New video clip from outside WSB HQ a short time ago - just in case you haven't gone outside in a few hours and are wondering what it looks like up close:
Dunsany e-mails from Highland Park about something that you're likely seeing too - branches heavy with snow, in danger of snapping and breaking power and phone lines, among other potential problems. Illustrated, in fact, by another photo from Hotwire's Lora on Pigeon Point:
10:01 PM UPDATE: First bus-route changes listed here. For WS, 21 "is not operating south of Roxbury."
10:21 PM UPDATE: More than seven hours of snow now; many people are reporting at least five inches on the ground. Definitely enough for snowmen - we showed you a few earlier, and here's another one: Alison and her husband made this one at 44th/Admiral and call your attention in particular to the sign:
Still no word of any school delays for tomorrow; we expect those (if any) to be decided early in the morning, so we'll be updating live starting around 4 am. We'll also be switching to an "overnight snow notes" post sometime after 11 pm.
10:36 PM UPDATE: Power is out here at WSB HQ in Upper Fauntleroy. We have a big supply of batteries plus two forms of wireless Internet backup, so we'll be continuing our coverage. Not sure how far this outage extends; we'll go outside and look down California in a moment.
10:55 PM UPDATE: We’re closing this post – had planned to open a new one right about now for overnight coverage anyway. The new one is focused right now on the power outages but we can and will also report on, and discuss, other snow effects. Click here to go there.
The Seattle Police media unit has just provided an update on the three robbery suspects whose North Admiral arrests we reported this morning (after overnight coverage here):Read More
One week ago today, on a rainy post-snowstorm Sunday afternoon, Sarah and Tas Philp of West Seattle welcomed about a dozen people into their home — not for a holiday party, but for a discussion to help the incoming White House administration decide how to handle an issue that truly touches us all: Health care.Read More
Just heard back from our Seattle Public Utilities contact, Andy Ryan, answering the question we sent last night — what if you have Friday pickup, which therefore meant you were supposed to be picked up YESTERDAY (Saturday) because of the New Year’s schedule, but they missed you? Answer: The call center is open 1-5 PM TODAY – 684-3000 – call!!!! Also important: As some people are all too well aware, Andy acknowledges that they have not caught up on recycling, but hope to have THAT all caught up by end of day tomorrow, so also be sure to call if you had trash picked up but not recycling – and ***keep your recycling out*** since they’re still making catch-up runs. Last but not least: What about yard waste? Seattle Public Utilities says it will be picked up on your regularly scheduled day. Lost track of when that is? We did too. So here’s the online link to your calendar – put in your address, it’ll give you the answer. Yard waste for us, which means the Christmas tree too, so out it goes — yard waste includes holiday greenery through mid-month; here’s our recent report with details on the rules for that. Hope this info helps, but if not, again, (206) 684-3000, 1-5 pm today. (Reminder: If you want to let your elected representatives know what you think about how this all played out – the hearings/briefings we mentioned previously are starting this week – here’s the full city lineup.) ADDED 12:35 PM: As a followup to this update, the city has also issued an official news release on where yard waste/trash/recycling stands – says the same thing, but click ahead if you want to read it in its entirety:Read More
Very early this morning, we reported here on an Admiral District robbery incident and subsequent search. Before we even picked up the phone this morning to call Seattle Police to find out more about what happened, we received an update from Lt. Steve Paulsen at the Southwest Precinct: It was actually an attempted holdup at the Admiral Way 7-11 — according to a police summary, a “Hispanic male with bandanna concealing his face, black jacket with hood, armed with a handgun” tried to hold up the store, but the store clerk ran and hid, and the would-be robber ran out. Police responded quickly, set up “containment in the area,” called in K-9, and found a car with three “Hispanic males and a handgun” in the 4400 block of SW College (map). Police have not yet confirmed whether these three were also involved in the recent spree in West Seattle, White Center, and South Seattle (here’s our most recent report, with video and photos), but they acknowledge the same thing we observed last night – looks possible – we will be following up when more information’s released.
(12/28/08 West Seattle Farmers’ Market photo by JayDee)
WEST SEATTLE FARMERS’ MARKET: Some vendors didn’t make it out last week because of the snowstorm’s aftermath, but the Farmers’ Market is expected to be back to full strength today, 10 am-2 pm, 44th/Alaska. Here’s today’s fresh sheet; among other things, it says tulips are back (we photographed them this time last year).
ONE MORE SHOW FOR “AMAHL AND THE NIGHT VISITORS”: Last chance to get your delayed-holiday entertainment on! (Or, to simply see a good show.) Twelfth Night Productions (WSB sponsor) has one more performance of “Amahl and the Night Visitors,” 3 pm today at Youngstown Arts Center; tickets are available online or at the door. (To see what else is happening today/tonight, see the West Seattle Weekend Lineup.)
From the scanner: Police are looking for an armed robber in the Admiral District right now. Suspect reported to have fled toward 44th SW. Not sure whether the holdup target was 7-11 or Admiral Chevron – locations we’ve heard could indicate either. K-9 unit is out helping search. Suspect described as 5-6 Hispanic male with slim build, at least one article of clothing is black, bandanna over face, possibly a shotgun-type weapon. Sounds similar to the robberies in south West Seattle/White Center/South Seattle recently (see our recent update with photos and video). Continuing to monitor. UPDATE: “Containment” was called off. No obvious word whether an arrest was made; we’ll check with police later today.
We hear some West Seattleites got stuck in this backup earlier tonight: At one point, three lanes of southbound I-5 were closed just before the West Seattle Bridge exit because of what WSDOT’s alert called “a police investigation.” According to KING5‘s 11 pm newscast (though we’re not finding this replicated online yet), someone standing or walking on the freeway was hit and killed. In e-mail asking about the incident, after spending time in the resulting backup, Tracie wrote, “We saw a pair of tennis shoes on the pavement with a spray-painted circle around them, and a forensic unit on site.” WSDOT just sent an update saying all lanes are open again. 2:33 AM UPDATE: Washington State Patrol has sent the incident report to media; two cars hit the 44-year-old Shoreline man who was killed (his relatives have not yet been notified so his name isn’t to be made public at this point) who was “walking (on) southbound I-5 just north of 6th and Forest … attempted to cross south lanes of travel … struck by (both) vehicles.” No word so far why he was walking on the freeway.
ORIGINAL 12:22 AM POST: Just belatedly saw word of a fire call (thanks to Aaron and Edith) that’s been open since just before 11 pm in the 5200 block of 18th SW (map). No indication of Fire Department media unit alert, which usually means not too big, but the call isn’t closed so we’re heading over to check it out. 12:55 AM UPDATE: Two fire units were still there when we rolled up (Engine 11 and Ladder 11). Fire out. Firefighters told us it was a “small house fire,” nobody hurt, and investigators were trying to figure out how it started. Adding a brief bit of video shortly.
In 1851, when the first European-Americans arrived at Alki Point, the Dkhw’Duw’Absh occupied at least 17 villages, living in over 90 longhouses, and 6 Potlatch Houses (centers of spiritual and social gathering), along Elliott Bay, the Duwamish River, the Cedar River, the Black River (which no longer exists), Lake Washington, Lake Union, and Lake Sammamish. By 1910, nearly all of the Dkhw’Duw’Absh longhouses were destroyed by Non-Native arson.
–From “The Life of Si’ahl, ‘Chief Seattle’,” by Thomas Speer (read the story online here)
Nearly a century later, a historic event in West Seattle today, as our area’s First People opened their new longhouse to visitors:
That two-minute video clip follows singers, drummers, and other community members into the Duwamish Tribe Longhouse and Cultural Center immediately after today’s ribbon-cutting. Earlier, we published a quick update, with a few photos and a brief clip of the ribbon-cutting itself. But as we wrote then, there is so much more to show and tell you, if you were not able to be there. Click ahead for more video, and other highlights:Read More
Another crime report just in – these types tend to happen in waves, so listen/watch extra-closely for anything suspicious around the cars in your neighborhood, even alarms you might consider ignoring:
Sadly more thefts to report: The catalytic converter was stolen (cut off) from beneath our 15 year old SUV in the Seaview neighborhood overnight. Beware since the thief can get them in just a couple of minutes if they know what they’re doing, and they really like the SUV’s due to their higher clearance.
Two reports to share – first, from Dave:
Just a heads up for other West Seattleites that someone smashed in the passenger side window on our car last night/early this morning. We’re in the Westwood neighborhood on 34th Ave SW near Barton [map]. The perp was either bored or not very bright, as nothing appears to be stolen. He/she also clearly knows nothing about music, as our Pearl Jam Live at the Gorge CD set was moved, but not taken. Total pain on our time and budget to get this fixed, but it’s a good reminder not to leave anything of value in our cars overnight.
Second, from CCW:
31st and City View (the funky little neighborhood just east of Admiral on your way up the hill) [map]: On the night of 1/1/09, someone got into our Honda CRV, which was parked in our driveway, and ripped the brand new TomTom GPS off the windshield. The doors weren’t locked, and nothing else was taken (the stereo and 10-15 CDs were untouched). This was clearly a crime of opportunity. The only reason it’s even worth reporting is that our driveway is quite private. You don’t go past our house randomly. This was either a local kid or a drunken hoodlum who wandered off the beaten path.
Back from a two-hour event with many amazing moments, as the Duwamish Tribe opened its new Longhouse and Cultural Center, on the eastern edge of West Seattle (4700 block of West Marginal Way; here’s a map), to the public – Duwamish chair Cecile Hansen and major donors Arlene and George Wade cut the ribbon, as this brief video clip shows:
(video no longer available due to blip.tv shutdown)
It is open until 4 pm today, so you are welcome to go visit for yourself. Much of the building is the high-ceilinged longhouse meeting space, but the Cultural Center displays are in a cozier space that opens from the door (which is on the west side of the building):
There’s a gift shop too:
The ceremony and presentations included so many emotional moments – reconciliation of the Natives with descendants of Seattle’s first white settlers – but also included news, with word of a performance series for which season tickets are now on sale at the gift shop, and a lawyer’s somber warning that the fight for formal federal recognition of the Duwamish Tribe remains an uphill battle, to say the least. Many more details to come in our later report, and more video of those moments.
Just a reminder, since some people apparently missed previous word about this: If you have Friday trash pickup, it’s supposed to happen TODAY — this was the plan long before Snowmare ’08; originally Thursday was a holiday for trash/recycling crews so the plan for a while has been for Thursday pickups around the city were to be made Friday and Friday to be made Saturday. (Some worked on Thursday anyway, catching up on missed Monday-Wednesday homes; if you are Mon-Wed pickup and were missed this week, call the city ASAP; if you are Friday pickup, you’re not supposed to call unless it gets to be late in the day today and you’re still waiting.) One twist – we’ve received a couple reports of Friday homes that DID get picked up yesterday. The graphic above is the one that was handed out at the mayoral briefing we covered at City Hall on Wednesday (click the graphic to see a larger version). No details yet about the “rebates” he mentioned for those who missed two trash pickups during the weather woes.
There’s a chilly memory from mid-December – that’s Sami MacKenzie of the West Seattle Cheetahs soccer team scoring a penalty shot during their state-championship game in Tukwila on December 14. Before the snow and ice forced almost everything else onto the back burner, we had brought you a few updates on the Cheetahs and two other West Seattle-based soccer teams playing in the championships that weekend (archived here, below this post). The evening of 12/13 was when the first wave of snow rolled in, but it didn’t stop these intrepid athletes. Though none of the three teams (the GU13 Cheetahs, the BU17 Xtreme, and the BU18 Eagles) won their title games, that still means they’re each in the state’s top two in their class, reason to celebrate. Here’s the photo and story that Cheetahs coach John MacKenzie sent after their big game 12/14, unpublished here at the time because of Snowmare ’08:
Frozen Coaches left to right: Eric Klapperich, John MacKenzie, and Cori Roed. Frozen Back Row, left to right: Julia Denison, Kelsey Klapperich, Charli Elliott, Sam Tanzer, Maddy Winter, Annalisa Ursino, Abby Tuthill, Sami MacKenzie. Frozen front row, left to right: Tatum Dahl, Anne Jorgenson, Julia Nark, Laura Jetland, Ali Campagnaro, Danielle Nielsen, Nicole Roed, and Gabby Rivera
Braving the snow and cold with the wind chill in the teens, the West Seattle Cheetahs fought to a 1-1 tie through regulation and 2 overtimes, only to lose a heartbreaker 3-2 in a shootout.
The field was frozen and covered with a layer of snow, the ball was frozen and the feet were frozen, but the competition was hot! The Cheetahs scored early in the first half on an excellent cross and tap in, but the Tornadoes came back with a great shot to tie the game just before the half. The second half saw many attempts, some missed opportunities, and some great goalkeeping to end regulation time tied 1-1. The 2 ten-minute overtimes saw much of the same, so a shootout was needed to determine the winner.
Both teams made their first 2 shots, then both teams missed their next 2, but the Tornadoes made their 5th shot to win the game 3-2 and take the title as #1 GU-12 recreational soccer team in Washington. It was the most incredible game we have ever been involved in. With the weather, the overtimes, and the shootout, it was an emotional roller coaster. “I was so drained, I slept for 16 hours afterward,” said Coach MacKenzie. “I am very proud of the girls and how hard they have played all year, and rightfully so – we are 1 of the 2 best teams in the state.”
“The Tornadoes were a worthy opponent and gracious winners, and you could hardly ask for a more exciting finish to the tournament,” said Coach Roed. The Cheetahs promise, “Wait till next year!”
The Cheetahs players and coaches would like to thank all the supportive West Seattle soccer fans who braved the below-freezing temperatures to come and cheer for us in the finals of the President Cup. You mean the world to us!
Congratulations again to the Cheetahs, the Xtreme, and the Eagles. They all are part of the West Seattle Soccer Club, which has spring leagues as well as fall; find out more about WSSC at its website.
(January 18 note: We now have an INAUGURATION INFO page – click here to go there)
A few national-news sites have posted the Obama/Biden Inauguration Day schedule of events in the past few hours, so it seems to be relatively new news – if you haven’t seen it, here’s the Inauguration Week/Day schedule on the official Inaugural Committee website. From that site, we discovered the Inaugural Committee has its own Twitter feed at @obamainaugural (see/follow it here). Meantime, the first open-to-the-public Inauguration Day events to cross our radar have been on the WSB Events calendar for a few days – here’s the announcement we first published there:
INAUGURATION DAY, will be busy for the WEST SEATTLE DEMOCRATIC WOMEN, as in the morning they will be having a Breakfast/Inauguration Viewing and later in the evening hosting an Inaugural Dinner/Gala. You need not be a member of WSDW, a female, or even a Democrat to attend either function, simply want to celebrate President-elect Obama’s inauguration and the CHANGE it will bring! The BREAKFAST/INAUGURATION VIEWING will be from 7:00 A.M. to approximately 10:00 A.M. at the West Seattle Golf Course. A big screen TV will be provided so to watch the Inauguration and Parade. Please contact WSDW via Karen at (206) 935-3216 or e=mail wsdwomen@yahoo.com to make a reservation.
The WSDWomen’s INAUGURAL DINNER/GALA begins at 6:00 P.M. at The Hall at Fauntleroy with a no-host beer and wine social hour followed at 7:00 P.M. with dinner and a dessert run showcasing absolutely scrumptious desserts. State Sen. Joe McDermott will be the Master of Ceremonies. Dancing and other frivolity will top off the end to a spectacular day! Please contact WSDW via Karen at (206) 935-3216 or e-mail wsdwomen@yahoo.com to obtain tickets to this event.
Reservations are required for both.
Other West Seattle Inauguration Day events open to the public? Let us know – editor@westseattleblog.com – thanks!
ADDED SATURDAY AFTERNOON: First one that we’re adding to the calendar – Dave at West 5 sends word that his Junction establishment’s a fine place to celebrate afterward: “No TVs to watch the event but we will celebrate with Happy Hour pricing all day 11-6, with $4.00 bloody marys & mimosas.”
UPS PR didn’t respond to our inquiries today about how much progress they have, or have not, made in catching up in our area post-snow, and why the Web information still appears to be inaccurate for those awaiting deliveries. However, a UPS spokesperson quoted in this P-I story posted tonight says they will be making some deliveries tomorrow. Meantime, the comments continue rolling in on our previous UPS update from pre-New Year’s, and this one from “xxx” may be of immediate interest if you are still awaiting a package:
These guys have no clue where the package is – 404-828-3219 is the corporate number. SOmeone from there assured me the package will get delivered today. guess what – it wasn’t. He also gave me the local number 425-882-4111 in issaquah, and i called them and they said that the trailer is inaccessible until Monday and all they know is that it is not in the truck. Bottomline – a very frustrated me is still waiting on the package, and UPS has no bloody clue where it is and are useless. He said they were doing their best – absolutely not. Biggest bunch of insincere and useless people. I have put the numbers here so everyone can call and complain and give them a piece of your mind.
In a subsequent comment, “xxx” said the 425 number is supposed to be answered until 10 pm tonight – so if your package hasn’t arrived yet, it may be worth a try. 10 PM UPDATE: They’re working late tonight — a UPS truck just went by our house, further uphill and eastward on the nearby side street.
COFFEE AT THE HEIGHTS: An e-mail inquiry reminded us we hadn’t checked on this in-the-works coffee shop (next to the laundromat at 35th/Webster) since this update last fall. So we asked the proprietors of PB&J Textiles, who are putting in the shop (and also operate the laundromat). After slowing the project down for a while, they say, it’s about to rev up again, with electrical work next week and cabinets after that – so opening day shouldn’t be TOO far away.
AND ACROSS THE STREET … from where Coffee at the Heights is brewing, county records confirm a recent tip we got that the former Carosello Coffee space (which had many names before it closed more than a year ago) at 7350 35th SW finally has been sold. Multiple sources say a salon is going in. The new owner has the same name as the operator of a salon on Delridge; we’re checking both locations for a link (although someone may beat us to confirmation while we’re out driving around!).
WEST SEATTLE MOTORS DRIVES INTO THE SUNSET: Thanks to Lora at Hotwire Coffee (WSB sponsor) for pointing out that the sign on this Triangle business along Fauntleroy Way has switched its blazing-red scrolling message from “Liquidation Sale” to “Gone Out of Business.” This was West Seattle’s last remaining car-sales business; we reported in May 2007 about its name change from Bob Ochsner Cars.
The snow woes forced a two-week hiatus for the West Seattle Weekend Lineup, but now that wintry weather is down to its usual dull roar (knock wood), we’re ready to resume. From Twelfth Night Productions‘ (WSB sponsor) “Amahl and the Night Visitors” (read more here) to work parties tomorrow in three local forests to the Duwamish Tribe‘s longhouse dedication, to free yoga, in all, more than two dozen West Seattle Friday-Saturday-Sunday events are listed ahead:Read More
This one’s still on the WSB (Other) Blogs (in West Seattle) page, but will fall off soon since 100 sites feed into that page and this update’s a few days old. If you haven’t read it already, and you’re interested in the arts — or philosophy — or just plain thoughtful writing — it’s worth a look: ArtsWest executive director Alan Harrison‘s 2008-ending thoughts. (And we couldn’t resist calling attention to it, since he opens by implying only 4 people, or so, will see it.)
We mentioned this a few days ago on partner site White Center Now but want to share it here too: Next Monday night at Holy Family School (20th and Roxbury; map), a benefit dinner will be held to raise money for the Randy Terlicker Endowment Fund. 
He was one of the four Seattle firefighters who lost their lives in one of the most tragic incidents ever to rock our city’s public-safety community, the Pang warehouse arson (also memorialized by the Pioneer Square sculpture shown at left, which pays tribute to the four and to all firefighters killed in the line of duty). The night of the dinner marks exactly 14 years to the day since the 1/5/95 fire that killed Terlicker – a Holy Family alumnus – along with Lt. Walter Kilgore, Lt. Greg Shoemaker, and firefighter James Brown. The dinner event will also serve as a memorial for the four, with the Seattle Fire Department Pipes and Drums Band scheduled to take part, as well as presentation of colors by the Walter Kilgore Memorial Honor Guard, and remarks by Randy Terlicker’s family and friends. The endowment fund provides HF scholarships to families who need financial assistance to attend the school. The event is scheduled to begin at 7 pm (after a 6 pm social hour); call HF at (206) 767-6220 to check on ticket availability.
Next Tuesday, Seattle Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Maria Goodloe-Johnson is scheduled to announce her “final recommendations” for which school programs and buildings should be closed in the current closure process; a final round of meetings and hearings will ensue, with a final School Board vote projected on Jan. 29. As previously reported, the current form of the proposal calls for closing the Genesee Hill Elementary building (shown at left) that’s housed Pathfinder K-8 for more than a decade, and 
closing the Cooper Elementary School “program” — dispersing its students to other West Seattle elementaries — so Pathfinder can move into that building (shown at right). This morning, we’ve received word of a new online petition drive opposing all proposed closures citywide (latest full list here). To see the petition (with a “signature” option for anyone interested), go here. To send your thoughts on the proposed closures/changes (or any other SPS-related topic) directly to the School Board, which has the final say, e-mail schoolboard@seattleschools.org (individual members’ info is here). The district’s official info page for the closure process is here; archived WSB coverage (newest to oldest) is here. ADDED 11:29 AM: Thanks to Forest for reminding us of something we should have added: The school district computer system is going down for major maintenance/power-supply upgrade starting at 5 pm tonight. The full notice is published at saveseattleschools.blogspot.com; it says the closure-info pages will be available elsewhere via a redirect, but e-mail to district addresses will not be delivered between Friday night and Monday morning.
ORIGINAL 6:25 AM POST: We’re off to see which ramps, if any, are still closed on The Bridge as the up-to-eight-hour period of city drain-cleaning goes into its final stretch and eastbound “rush hour” approaches – the image above is the latest “live” picture from the city camera that looks eastward toward the ramp to 99. First word of what we find will turn up in the turquoise Twitter box (headed “What am I doing …”) on the right sidebar. Meantime, looks like some frosting on the cars outside – some potential rain-snow mix had been predicted overnight; nothing on the ground or road though, at least up here. 6:59 AM UPDATE: Just drove both directions; all ramps open, looks like the work’s all done. We saw one last city crew working on a drain in the inside westbound lane parallel with the Admiral exit when we were heading eastbound at 6:30, but even they were gone when we headed back west.
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