Delridge development update

From the “triangle” where Delridge cuts between 16th/17th before Roxbury, a former auto shop is transforming into what city records describe as “West Seattle Bible Church”:

church.jpg

Further north on Delridge, the neon sign for the sister shop to Bubbles is up and running (our camera disc decided not to capture it, sorry); not far away, in the 5600 block of Delridge, a former roofing business also appears to be morphing into a “coffee shop”:

delridgecoffee.jpg

Coming up before the weekend’s in full swing

Tomorrow night, ArtsWest presents Ladies Night Out, featuring not only that night’s performance of “On the Verge,” but also drinks, snacks, door prizes, and trendy clothing/shoe displays from local boutiques. Call ArtsWest for ticket info.

-Also tomorrow night, maybe not quite that much fun but potentially life-saving, a Disaster Preparedness Workshop @ High Point Community Center. Did you feel unprepared when the windstorm hit? This is a great way to figure out how to be ready NEXT time.

-And a sneak weekend preview — Friday night‘s bound to be incredible at Cafe Rozella as it celebrates its second anniversary — with a free 7:30 pm flamenco performance by Eric and Encarnacion from the spectacular local group Children of the Revolution.

Caffe, passe?

Tonight, a rare sighting of squadcarfuls of West Seattle’s Finest taking a break someplace besides Caffe Ladro: at the Westwood Village Barnes ‘n’ Noble.

More water-taxi details finally roll in

April 17, 2007 7:29 pm
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 |   Elliott Bay Water Taxi | Transportation

Thanks to this week’s edition of the WS Herald for (indirectly) reminding us we hadn’t checked the Elliott Bay Water Taxi page in a few days (we’d been watching for more info since Councilmember Constantine’s staff updated us all last month) — now the page is updated, with schedules, fares, the shuttle-route maps, and the traditional kickoff-day party plan (noon-2 pm April 29, free rides all day).

Burglar alert

A WSB reader who lives just east of The Junction wants to alert us all to a potential stepped-up burglary threat in the area. He returned from an out-of-town trip to find out from his alarm company that someone had tried to break in. Here’s the rest of his story; if you’re away during the day, it’s worth touching base with neighbors to see who’s home and who can keep an eye out for anything/anyone suspicious:

… since I’ve been back I have learned from a local real-estate agent (subsequently backed up by the Seattle Police) that there has been a local burglary ring that has been specifically targeting West Seattle as of late. Most of these attempts seem to be happening between 11 am and 6 pm while people are away at work. Sometimes these guys will even come to the door (asking for directions or seeking some random person) to verify that no one is home.

Cal-Mor murder suspect bail: $1,000,000

April 17, 2007 1:47 am
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 |   Crime

There’s some new information about the Sunday morning Cal-Mor Circle murder in today’s Times update, such as the suspect’s name and what allegedly set him off.

Educational espresso

April 17, 2007 12:32 am
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 |   West Seattle schools | WS beverages

Local public school athletic programs get 15% of whatever you spend at Tully’s today.

Scary search in WS

April 16, 2007 5:16 pm
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 |   Crime | Delridge | West Seattle schools

Times says police were looking for a possible armed student near Cleveland HS (which is housed at Boren on Delridge) earlier this afternoon.

Slice of things to come

The business name we found last month for the bakery coming to the ex-Bobby’s Hobbies space, south of the post office in The Junction, turns out to have been correct. A sign is now up in the window: Do you love pie?/We do too/Coming soon …/Shoofly Pie Co.

Hanging out at Hotwire

P-I “Internet reporter” Monica Guzman has posted about her Sunday morning stop @ Hotwire.

A future demolition which we will watch, weeping

Checking the lineup for future Design Review Board meetings, we learned of two projects along Cali that will apparently take out what we consider distinctive old buildings. Both will be taken up by the SW DRB on May 10. We posted yesterday about the first one, at 3811 California. The second is a longer, more personal yarn, so we’re putting it (pix included) one click away:
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More on the Cal-Mor murder

April 15, 2007 10:46 pm
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 |   Crime

Many new details in the article posted by the P-I late tonight. The victim’s sister told the paper her brother was mentally disabled and described the suspect as a homeless man her brother had taken in and was trying to help. EARLY AM UPDATE: The Times has added details to its coverage too.

Warning about NEXT weekend

There is SO much going on in WS next weekend, if you have any plans to be anywhere else (especially Saturday), you might as well cancel them now. We’ve already mentioned one of the most unusual events — the Pet Rodeo & Snooty Walk  sponsored by the WS High School Class of ’09. Our original post brought some questions about where the $ will go; the class prez just posted a reply there but since it’s buried deep in the site, we thought we’d highlight it here:

Everyone, I am the Class President of Class of 2009 and I am very sorry
that We did not mention what the money will go towards. So, Our hope is
to have a $5.00 prom. Proms can be very expensive and our hope is that
every single student who wants to attend has the chance to no matter
what their financial issues are. Hope to see everyone at the WSHS PET
RODEO AND SNOOTY WALK ($15 to enter pet)

Morgan Junction murder

Just hearing about this now thanks to reader tips: a man was killed at Cal-Mor (the cylindrical building on Cali’s east side just north of Fauntleroy) this morning; someone described as “an acquaintance” is in custody. The Times update says this is the third murder of the year in Seattle; by our count, that means two of the three were in WS (the other was the 37th/Findlay killing in March).

Another future teardown

Two of the latest lots slated for denser development are saddening us a bit, not because of the future development, but because of what’ll be going away. Both are on Cali. One will take much longer to explain, so we’re working on that for tomorrow; today, a shorter yarn: 3811 California SW, not far south of Cali/Charlestown (which might need its own districtlet name with everything proposed there – CalChar?), sold in February for just under $1 million, targeted for an apartment building with “street-level retail,” where the wrecking ball would be taking out this distinctively designed 1920s brick fourplex that we remember first admiring from a Charlestown Cafe window. The picture doesn’t entirely do it justice; take a look next time you drive by, before it’s gone:

3811cali.jpg

If you’re in The Junction midday today

The P-I’s “Internet reporter” Monica Guzman, who has mentioned WSB a time or two, says she’s stopping by Hotwire at 10 am today to sample WS online culture ‘n’ coffee.

Wheeling & dealing

Flyers on the window at Bikes & Brew, west of Easy Street in The Junction, are advertising its liquidation sale, saying that B & B is going out of business. SUNDAY UPDATE: Bikes & Brew replied to the e-mail we sent seeking further details; here’s what they wrote:

We will be open for the next several Saturdays from 10 am to 2 pm selling everything in the shop.  Lots of people showed up yesterday so it looks like the last Saturday that we are open will probably be in early May.  Please tell your readership that we thank them for their support over the past few years.

Two summer events worth planning for now

April 14, 2007 10:38 am
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 |   WS miscellaneous

We appreciate the growing number of folks who e-mail us with info about upcoming events as well as news tips, photos, sightings, questions. Two such e-mails in the past week or so are about summer events for which you can register now:

-Team sign-up is under way for the American Cancer Society Relay for Life at WS Stadium June 22-23. If your life has been touched by cancer (whose hasn’t? each member of the WSB team lost a parent to Big C), consider participating or at least donating. Lots of info here.

-With just two more months left in the school year, it’s time for parents to plan kids’ summer activities, often a crazyquilt of day camps, babysitters, etc. Here’s a day-camp week right here in WS: Camp Fire is sponsoring a weeklong day camp at Lincoln Park, July 30-Aug. 3. More here about the activities; go here to register.

The Grouchos, finally caught on cam

We shared the first tip last week about the Groucho Marxes visible from the south side of the west end of the high bridge. Now, finally photos — these were linked from a new comment on the original item; the one below was e-mailed to us by Nick Peters:

groucho.jpg

Another music star in West Seattle

April 13, 2007 6:43 pm
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 |   WS culture/arts

For those of you keeping track (or maybe it’s just us) — yet another music star turns out to be right here on our side of the bay: Eric Judy from Modest Mouse, as mentioned in this Times article previewing the band’s Sunday night concert.

Driver to be charged in 47th/Admiral death

As noted and spiritedly discussed here 2 weeks ago, the driver who hit and killed City Council staffer Tatsuo Nakata at 47th/Admiral last November won’t face felony charges, but there’s a new development – the city has decided to charge him with misdemeanor assault.

WS weekend: Friday the 13th and beyond

April 13, 2007 7:06 am
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 |   Gardening | West Seattle parks | WS culture/arts | WS miscellaneous

We actually consider 13 a lucky number, so this is bound to be a great weekend. Garden plants for sale, free family fun courtesy of the WS YMCA, tons of tunes, and surprises as always — one click away:

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