West Seattle, Washington
08 Monday
(Photo by Ed Swan, who identifies it as a Red Admiral butterfly, photographed in the Admiral area)
Wide-ranging lineup of highlights tonight:
SEATTLE GREENDRINKS HEADS WEST: 5:30 pm at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center – details here, including how to RSVP. (4408 Delridge Way SW)
HIGH-SCHOOL INFORMATION FAIR AT WESTSIDE SCHOOL: Happening tonight:
Westside School will be holding a high-school information fair on Tuesday May 12 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. The fair will host approximately 15 Admission Directors from the Seattle area, along with two boarding schools. We would like to invite students and parents to the fair, with the purpose of providing an opportunity to learn more about these great schools and the admission process. Some of the schools that will be in attendance are Bishop Blanchet, Seattle Prep, Kennedy, Seattle Lutheran, Annie Wright, St. Michaels University School (BC), Aviation High School, Academy Schools, and Holy Names Academy
Westside is in Sunrise Heights. (7740 34th SW)
WEST SEATTLE COMMUNITY ORCHESTRAS: 6:30 pm at Chief Sealth International High School Auditorium, program including works by Haydn and Beethoven, and a premiere work by West Seattle composer Robert Duisberg – details in our calendar listing. (2600 SW Thistle)
JUNCTION NEIGHBORHOOD ORGANIZATION: 6:30 pm at the Senior Center of West Seattle, JuNO meets with agenda highlights listed by director René Commons:
Our Guest Speaker is: Lynn Best, Director, Environmental Affairs, Seattle City Light. Lynn will advise our community on the current and future status of the Avalon Substation and adjoining restaurant property. Seattle City Light owns both properties (location is 35th ave and SW Genesee st at NE bridge entrance); the large concrete substation is cleared and fenced off – looks like a bunker, and the restaurant site – former terriyaki- was recently leased by them to Pecos Pit BBQ. We have asked Lynn to share with our community an an overview on the process of how sub station properties can convert to public green spaces. Are the sites marketed only to private investors; can there be a more rigorous evaluation process of converting sites as green spaces to benefit our dense urban community?
J u N O meetings are open to the public and all are welcome. … Working together to make our West Seattle Junction and Triangle Neighborhoods a better place to work, live and play!!! … (Also) We will discuss dates for Junction Plaza Park cleanup and future artwork concepts for this small but integral neighborhood park.
Emergency Hub – update on Saturdays event at Hiawatha
Fauntleroy Boulevard Improvement – discussion with updates
Juno Events – martini walk or pub crawl organizers needed
Juno Booth at WS Street Fair – ideas and volunteers needed
(Oregon/California)
SEATTLE PUBLIC SCHOOLS BELL TIMES: Should they change? The district is taking a closer look at three options for scheduling and would like to hear from you – whether you are a parent, staffer, neighbor, or anyone else with an opinion. The comment period is running out but you’re welcome at a meeting at 7 pm tonight at Chief Sealth International High School. Our calendar listing includes other ways to have a say, as long as you do it quickly. (2600 SW Thistle)
FAUNTLEROY COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION: Public’s always welcome at the FCA‘s monthly board meeting, 7 pm in the conference room at Fauntleroy Schoolhouse. (9131 California SW)
ADMIRAL NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION: 7 pm at The Sanctuary at Admiral – learn about land use, how to find out what’s happening and how to have a say in it. All welcome. (42nd/Lander)
PUBLIC HEALTH CAFE ON CHILDHOOD ASTHMA: Is it linked to the environment? Hear from and talk with Dr. Catherine Karr, Pediatrician, UW research scientist, & Director of the NW Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit. 7 pm at Chaco Canyon Organic Café in The Triangle. Free, all welcome. (3770 SW Alaska)
MORE … today/tonight/beyond – just check out our calendar.
(Four WS-relevant views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
Good morning! We start with notes/alerts for today and beyond:
HARBOR AVENUE WORK: Noticed while making rounds on Monday that this project is well under way. – be aware when continuing onto Harbor northbound from south of the bridge or turning northbound from westbound Spokane.
WEST SEATTLE BRIDGE WORK: The ongoing work in the outer lane of the eastbound West Seattle Bridge is scheduled to continue again today and tonight, outside the peak hours; here’s the SDOT schedule.
WEST SEATTLE 5K THIS SUNDAY: Time to start with the reminders that Alki Avenue SW will be closed to traffic during this Sunday’s annual West Seattle 5K Run/Walk, starting early in the morning and continuing until about 11 am. A change this year: As first reported here a month ago, the 5K will *not* be followed by the SDOT Summer Streets “car-free” festival this year as it has been each previous year, so the street will fully reopen to vehicles after the 5K. (A community celebration has been organized by Alki neighbors, but no street closure is involved.)
Hours after federal approval of Shell‘s Arctic offshore-drilling plan, 
and hours before the Seattle Port Commission‘s public meeting about the Terminal 5/Foss/Shell lease, one of Shell’s two designated drill rigs entered Washington waters. We reported Sunday night that the drillship Noble Discoverer had done a turnaround off the Washington coast and went out of tracking range; early this morning, it reappeared, and entered the Strait of Juan de Fuca. It’s still headed for Everett first, Shell told The Seattle Times (WSB partner), also saying the other designated driller, Polar Pioneer, is to be towed this week to T-5 from Port Angeles (where it remains visible on webcam as of this writing). (June 2012 photo of Noble Discoverer by Long Bach Nguyen)
As for the Port Commission’s meeting this afternoon, the agenda details finally have been added. They include two potential motions: The first one comes down to, the port can’t/won’t do anything about the city interpretation disallowing the drill rigs until “if and when this code interpretation is deemed a final decision by the City of Seattle.” (The way the Hearing Examiner process works, that usually takes months.) The second one seeks to have the port appeal the city interpretation too. Today’s meeting is set to start at 1 pm at port HQ at Pier 69 on the downtown waterfront and will start with a public-comment period.
9:04 AM: The Noble Discoverer is just now passing Port Angeles.
One week from tonight, the West Seattle YMCA (WSB sponsor) expansion project will benefit from a unique fundraiser aimed at superfans of the Seahawks and Sounders. Here’s what it’s all about, 5-8 pm Tuesday, May 19th, at The Hall at Fauntleroy:
Seahawks and Sounders FC team up for the Y with stars Steven Hauschka and Zach Scott to benefit the West Seattle YMCA expansion!
Your up-close-and-personal experience is guaranteed because we are limiting the guest list to 50 superfans!
As a superfan, you will have the opportunity to:
· Bring an item to be autographed by Steven and Zach, and talk to them one on one!
· Have your photo taken with Steven and Zach and take it home framed with their signatures.
· Hear stories from the sidelines and locker rooms about Steven’s and Zach’s unique experiences in professional sports.
· Bid on exclusive items including:
*Two Seahawks club level tickets & two field passes to the Panthers game on October 18th.
*#12 Fan jersey signed by Richard Sherman, Doug Baldwin, and others (top photo).
*Sounders FC jersey signed by Zach Scott (top photo)
*Sounders FC field passes for the Kansas City game on May 23rd (top photo)*Game-worn cleat signed by Steven Hauscka (photo above)
*Plus other autographed items.· Enjoy drinks and appetizers with like-minded die-hard 12s and Sounders FC supporters.
We’re now offering a limited number of tickets for $100 each, plus ticket processing fees. (VIP tickets are $250.00 plus fees.) Purchase tickets online at WestSeattleYMCA.eventbrite.com. When 50 tickets are sold, that’s it — there will be no additions! Proceeds benefit the expansion of the West Seattle YMCA. The YMCA of Greater Seattle is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization registered with the IRS. For this event, $50 of the ticket price may be considered a charitable donation. Learn more at www.OurNewY.org
One week from tomorrow, Seattle Public Schools will be closed because of teachers’ one-day walkout. Tonight, we’ve received this announcement on behalf of Chief Sealth International High School teachers and staff who say they will start the day with a two-hour event explaining and apologizing:
Seattle Public Schools will be closed on Tuesday, May 19th, 2015 as Seattle Public School teachers voted overwhelmingly to walk out on a one-day strike. Teachers and staff of Chief Sealth International High School have chosen to spend that morning hosting community from 8:00–10:00 a.m. in front of the school. The purpose of the event is two-fold: Chief Sealth staff want to provide a face-to-face opportunity for our students, families, and community to learn about why school employees have voted to strike and to apologize to the families for the real disruption this will cause to their daily routine.
At issue is the ongoing and long-term quality of education that is due to our children and families in the State of Washington. In 2012, the Washington State Supreme Court ruled that the State Legislature was not meeting its constitutionally mandated responsibility to fully fund education in our State. In the two years since the Court’s ruling, each time the Legislature has reported on its progress, the Court has reprimanded them for not making any progress. After a hearing before the Court this past September, the Court:
ORIGINAL REPORT, 4:30 PM: This year’s much-contested, much-discussed City Council races are intensifying – here are three reasons why:
FILING WEEK: By Friday, we’ll know who’s in and who’s out – it’s filing week, and candidates have to either pay a fee or submit signatures, to finalize their candidacy.
AT-LARGE CANDIDATES’ FORUM THURSDAY: We’ve been paying most election attention so far to the District 1 (West Seattle/South Park) City Council race – but you’ll also be voting on two at-large seats, Positions 8 and 9. So far, per the city website, six people are running for #8, including West Seattle resident David Trotter, and three for #9, including West Seattleites Alon Bassok and Lorena González. This Thursday (May 14th), three south-end groups including the 34th District Democrats are presenting a forum for the two at-large seats at the Georgetown campus of South Seattle College (WSB sponsor; 6737 Corson Avenue S.), 7 pm (with pre-forum mingling at 6:30).
TWO DISTRICT 1 FORUMS AHEAD: The District 1 field is back to 10 candidates listed on the city website; as previously reported here, two forums are scheduled before the month’s out, 6:30 pm Monday, May 18th, at Fauntleroy UCC Church, presented by the Westside Interfaith Network and League of Women Voters, and 7 pm Wednesday, May 27th, in South Park.
P.S. We had to look this up so thought we’d share – the rules for campaign-sign placement.
5:48 PM UPDATE: Another candidate – potentially the 11th, if everyone else on the list makes it official by end of day Friday – for District 1: Arturo Robles.
Not as summery today as it was over the weekend but we just checked the pool schedules because of this picture:
Jim Edwards sent the photo from Colman Pool on the Lincoln Park shore, where he says they’re “putting the finishing touches and doing the laser alignment on the pumps.” Less than two weeks now until Colman Pool’s first pre-season opening – May 23rd, which is also when Highland Park Spraypark opens. The wading pools open later (in West Seattle, June 27th for Lincoln Park, June 29th for Delridge, July 1st for E.C. Hughes and Hiawatha). Here’s the citywide wading-pool schedule (PDF, including the pools’ addresses); here’s the Colman Pool 2015 schedule (also a PDF).
(WSB file photo)
Exactly two months from now, we’ll be in the midst of West Seattle Summer Fest 2015 – Friday-Sunday, July 10-12, presented by the West Seattle Junction Association (with co-sponsors including WSB). Two notes today as we look ahead to West Seattle’s biggest event of the year:
SUMMER FEST MUSIC LINEUP: Due out tomorrow!
SUMMER FEST COMMUNITY TENT: It’s application time for West Seattle nonprofits and community groups interested in FREE space in the Community Tent. The Junction Association explains, “We will select groups who strive to benefit, strengthen, and educate our community.” Here’s what’s available:
Friday/Saturday: 4-hour slots
10 am – 2 pm, 2 pm – 6 pmSunday: 3-hour slots
11 am – 2 pm, 2 pm – 5 pmThe Community Tent will be located on Alaska St, east of California. Tent, tables, and chairs will be provided. Participants are encouraged to set up their table & area with displays which reflect their mission and contributions to the West Seattle Community. They are welcome to bring props, brochures and such, which will entice folks to stop and chat about their organization. NO SALES, PLEASE.
Interested neighborhood non-profits or community groups who would like to be a part of the Summer Fest Community Tent, please e-mail Jenelle by June 27th at jenelle@wsjunction.org.
(Monday midday image from Port Angeles Chamber of Commerce webcam, republished with permission)
ORIGINAL REPORT, 12:18 PM: In our update last night on the events surrounding the plan for Shell to bring its Arctic-offshore-drilling rigs (including Polar Pioneer, above, still in Port Angeles) to Terminal 5 in West Seattle, we described this as a “pivotal week.” And since that update last night, it’s become even more so: This morning, the federal government issued its approval for Shell’s revised plan to drill six wells in the Chukchi Sea this summer – read the announcement here. This comes just before the City Council is scheduled to vote during its 2 pm meeting today on this resolution expressing opposition to Arctic offshore drilling and asking the Port of Seattle to reconsider its lease with Foss bringing Shell vessels to T-5. (The Port Commission‘s meeting on lease-related issues is at 1 pm tomorrow.) Representing a coalition of anti-drilling groups, Earthjustice has reacted by saying, “The project Interior approved today is bigger, dirtier, and louder than any previous plan, calling for more sound disturbances and harassment of whales and seals, more water and air pollution, and more vessels and helicopters. It also runs the risk of a catastrophic oil spill that could not be cleaned in Arctic waters.”
3:33 PM UPDATE: The City Council passed the aforementioned resolution unanimously. City Councilmember Mike O’Brien said it’s not possible to just abruptly stop using oil, but “a just transition” must be worked on; Councilmember Kshama Sawant, whose amendment to the resolution also won unanimous approval, said that while the jobs created by the drilling-related work are important, the more important issue is that of oil executives’ profits – she accused them of “hoodwinking” people into thinking it’s the environment vs. jobs. And Councilmember Nick Licata said the environment is “changing rapidly” and a resolution like this is a “small step” toward action to try to slow that rate of change. The comment period before their deliberation and vote included Alaskan Natives who had come from areas close to the prospective drilling zone to express their support for Shell.
(WSB photo from May 6th levy-revision announcement)
What’s in it for West Seattle? The next discussion of the revised city transportation levy is set for this Wednesday at the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce‘s monthly lunch meeting, 11:30 am at The Kenney (WSB sponsor). City Councilmember Tom Rasmussen, seen in our photo (above) speaking at last week’s announcement, will be there with at least one SDOT rep, updating the proposal announced last week. Today’s your last chance to register at the earlybird price, $25 members/$35 nonmembers – sign up here.
(Male American Goldfinch, photographed by Trileigh Tucker)
A new week! From the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
ALZHEIMER’S ASSOCIATION CAREGIVER SUPPORT GROUP: 1-3 pm, it’s the twice-monthly meeting of this group at Providence Mount St. Vincent – info in our calendar listing. (4831 35th SW)
NORTH DELRIDGE NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL: 6:30 pm on the second Monday means it’s time for the NDNC to meet, at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center. (4408 Delridge Way SW)
PLANT-IDENTIFICATION WALK: Been to “Soundway Park“? That’s the site of tonight’s free 6:30 pm plant-identification walk with the Nature Consortium. Check to see if there’s room (if there isn’t sign up for a future hike!). Meet at the trailhead. (14th/Holly)
AMATEUR RADIO OPERATOR? 6:30 pm, weekly on-air “meeting” for the West Seattle Amateur Radio Club – featured here on Sunday. Info for tonight (and every Monday):
The West Seattle Amateur Radio Club (WSARC) weekly net @ W7AW Repeater, 441.800, input +5, tone 141.3. Echolink and IRLP are also available -see westseattlearc.org for more info. The repeater is located at High Point.
EVENING BOOK GROUPS: Both meet at 6:45 pm, all welcome. At Southwest Library, they’re reading “Zeitoun” by Dave Eggers; at West Seattle (Admiral) Library, they’re reading the 2015 Seattle Reads book.
DENNY PTSA MEETING: 7 pm, the Denny International Middle School PTSA meets in the school library. (2601 SW Kenyon)
(Four WS-relevant views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
Good morning – so far, no trouble reported in or from our area.
POST-COMMUTE ALERT: Work that started over the weekend in the outer lane of the eastbound West Seattle Bridge is scheduled to continue today and tonight; here’s the SDOT schedule.
Transportation issues were at centerstage during this month’s Southwest District Council meeting, which had a few agenda changes from what had been announced in advance.
DON ARMENI BOAT RAMP PARKING: SWDC heard first from Paul Hage, who is opposed to the new non-boater-parking crackdown at Don Armeni. We reported on this in April; the city insists it’s not a change in policy, but rather, stepped-up enforcement.
With construction winding down at Spruce, the mixed-use project that filled what for years was “The Hole,” the sidewalk along 39th SW is open and that provides a view of the plaza on what is actually a bit of city parkland along the corner where Fauntleroy/Alaska/39th meet. At the heart of the plaza, art by Lezlie Jane, the West Seattle artist whose creations grace other spots including Constellation, Cormorant Cove, Weather Watch, and Dakota Place Parks.
We first reported her role in this project when the “public benefit” package for Spruce – required because it includes an “alley vacation” – went to the Seattle Design Commission in December 2012. You can see the concept for the “medallion” in our coverage of the meeting, and how it’s turning out, above, and below in our quick walkaround captured in a 15-second Instagram video clip (we focused on the wording around its perimeter, which includes an explanation of the bear, if you don’t know that part of West Seattle history on sight):
Our visit to the site this afternoon was inspired by the announcement of next Tuesday’s Junction Neighborhood Organization meeting – JuNO director René Commons mentioned it while saying the group will talk about the mini-park’s future, as well as other public/green space issues, at 6:30 pm Tuesday, at the Senior Center of West Seattle.
West Seattle’s only all-coworking space, WS Office Junction (WSB sponsor), has a deal for you this week:
The Office Junction is open free to the public to try coworking, Monday, May 11 – Friday, May 15, 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM. RSVP required at wsofficejunction@gmail.com.
Tired of working in coffee shops? Need to get out of the house? Looking for a friendly professional place to get some work done? The Office Junction has a desk waiting for you with free high-speed WiFi, free refreshments, color printer, conference room, great people and more! Book a time, then show up with your laptop and discover how coworking is redefining independence.
Whether you do or don’t take advantage of that deal, WS Office Junction has another offer:
Looking for a chance to network, meet new people or explore new ideas? The Office Junction is hosting a broad variety of events, meetups and workshops this month. See our event calendar at wsofficejunction.com/calendar.html for more information.
Office Junction is at 6040 California SW, north of Morgan Junction.
This week promises to be pivotal in the ongoing controversy over and scrutiny of the plan for two Shell-leased drill rigs to come to the Port of Seattle‘s Terminal 5 in West Seattle before heading to the Arctic Ocean.
One of those rigs, the drillship Noble Discoverer, took an unexpected – at least to observers – turn this weekend.
As noted here Thursday, Noble Discoverer is expected to stop in Everett this week. Foss Maritime has indicated that the city of Seattle’s suggestion that it’s not coming here is inaccurate, so the expectation is that it would then proceed to T-5.
We’ve been checking online vessel tracker MarineTraffic.com relatively often for any signs of the drillship coming into range – it was last “seen” by tracking signal when it was off Honolulu two weeks ago (at which time, it’s since been revealed, it failed a Coast Guard inspection).
Looking at MT very early this morning, we noticed Noble Discoverer had been in tracking range for a while starting Saturday morning, approaching the entrance to the Strait of Juan De Fuca – but then disappeared from tracking. Almost concurrently, we received a note from Robert, pointing to this online observation with a few more specifics, showing that the ship had turned around and gone back out of tracking range. Here’s what MT’s records show:
MT tracking doesn’t pick up until relatively close to the coast, so we don’t know quite where the drillship is now – just that it’s out of range, shown as having been last “seen” at 2:43 am today (our time) sailing away from the Washington coast, about 18 hours after it had become visible while sailing toward it.
Meantime, Shell’s other drill rig, the platform Polar Pioneer, has now spent three weeks in Port Angeles (where this webcam points toward it around the clock); here in Seattle, the Port Commission takes up the T-5 lease/city interpretation situation in public session Tuesday afternoon, and opponents of offshore Arctic drilling plan a series of protests here in (and off) West Seattle starting later in the week, culminating in an early-morning march from Harbor Island to T-5 one week from tomorrow .
One month from today, you’re invited to join the Senior Center of West Seattle in celebrating its former longtime leader, Karen Sisson. Sent tonight by center board member Sandie Wilkinson:
We will be celebrating the retirement party for Karen Sisson after her 25 years as Executive Director of the Senior Center of West Seattle. It will be held at the Senior Center on June 10th from 5 to 8 PM and the community is welcome to come by and wish her the best. The theme of the party is Gone Boating, since she and her husband will be spending more time on their boat now that she is retired.
During the retirement party Dow Constantine will be helping us to dedicate the building housing, and owned by, the Senior Center as the Sisson Building at 7 PM.
We are also excited to announce that on June 8th the Seattle City Council will be meeting to vote on a Proclamation declaring June 10th as Karen Sisson Day; we encourage our community to join the meeting as well.
Family and friends will gather Friday (May 15th) to remember Margaret Skube, who died in February at age 60. Here’s the remembrance they’re sharing with the community:
Margaret Ann Skube passed away on February 27th, 2015, surrounded by her family.
She was born in West Seattle on October 10, 1954 to Galina and Noel (Cam) Skube. She attended Alki Elementary and Madison Junior High, and graduated from West Seattle High School with the class of 1972.
After working as a cook on cargo ships to Alaska with Western Pioneer for many years, she moved to Stanwood, WA, where she raised her daughter Calley.
Calley and her husband, Lane, blessed Margaret by giving her three beautiful grandchildren, Adalynn, Fionnegan, and Gillian. They were the light of her life.
Margaret will be remembered for her love of life, willingness to try just about anything, and for living her life at 100% in all she did. Margaret loved to garden, cook, swim, and to play games. She loved to travel, meet people, and to learn new things. She lived her life just the way she wanted to and always hoped for a better day. She certainly had her own sense of style, and always brought a change of clothes, since “anything could happen.” She was a fun-loving, positive, and hopeful woman.
Besides her daughter’s family, she leaves behind her dad, Cam, her niece Elle, and nephew Seth. She was preceded in death by her mother Galina and her brother Peter. She will be deeply missed by her many friends and her beloved Beaver Damn Campout girlfriends.
Her celebration of life will be Friday afternoon, May 15, 2015 from 11:00 – 2:00 at the Lakewood Seward Park Community Club, 4916 S. Angeline St.
(WSB publishes West Seattle obituaries by request, free of charge. Please e-mail the text, and a photo if available, to editor@wsb.blackfin.biz)
EDITOR’S NOTE: Last night, reporting on two West Seattle Emergency Communication Hubs participating in a citywide preparedness drill, we mentioned amateur-radio operators’ involvement. A new member of the West Seattle Amateur Radio Club board recently offered this story about who they are, what they do, and how you can get involved; this seems like the perfect time to publish it.
(West Seattle ARC photo – board members, from left: Secretary Lance Rasmussen, K7LER; board position 2, Tom Saunders, N7OEP; vice president Curt Black, WR5J; board position 1, Kayla Ware, KG7PJW; president Ken Iverson, AB7X; board position 3, Jim Edwards, WS7JIM; not pictured, treasurer Dave Hillier, AF7CW)
By Jim Edwards
WS7JIM
Special to West Seattle Blog
For those who remember Grandpa down in the basement with a set of headphones on, turning a big radio dial, and think that’s what Amateur Radio is, you’re not alone. But in fact, it is a wide-ranging hobby. If you want to hide in the basement, and do that … it’s still an option. But it’s so much more, that anyone can find an area of interest to explore.
When I got into Amateur radio, I did it for the purpose of expanding the communications available to the West Seattle Parade Committee. With small UHF radios, club members are able to communicate with each other through the club repeater located on a City of Seattle tower near the High Point water tanks. I quickly learned that the West Seattle Amateur Radio Club (WSARC) has one of the best-placed repeaters in the city.
The West Seattle Parade route – at one and a half miles, with a large hill in the middle and increasingly taller buildings lining the street – makes it a difficult situation for radio. Seafair Parade Marshals and the radio club that supports the Seafair Parade Marshals struggle with this growing problem each year. WSARC came to the parade committee a couple years ago with an offer to help. The radio net they set up spans the entire parade route, and helps to bring together all of this communication. I wanted to be a part of that, so I studied and got my license.
There are three levels of licensing in Amateur Radio. Each level opens up more of the radio spectrum reserved for Amateur Radio. Each level requires a greater understanding of radio operation, and the electrical know-how to not get yourself in trouble. The three levels are Technician, General, and Amateur Extra. When I took my General test, one of the youngest members of the WSARC club was also updating her license to General. At 9 years old, she managed to complete the test in half the time it took me. And her two older sisters did it even faster.
What can you do with a radio license? A huge part of the hobby is emergency preparedness. Honing those radio skills is why you go out and volunteer at events like the West Seattle Parade. But beyond that, the hobby has much more, such as:
HF radio: Talking to contacts around the world, for fun, or in contests. You can do this with voice, Morse code, or digital formats. You can bounce signals off the atmosphere, a passing satellite, communicate with the International Space Station, even bounce a signal off the moon.
UHF / VHF: Usually short-range communication, but can be extended with repeaters. With a computer connected to the radio, you can send messages and pictures digitally. With APRS you can set up a radio-based tracking system.
Echolink and IRLP: Through an application on a cell phone or computer, a licensed Amateur can broadcast on radio repeaters around the world via the internet.
Mesh networks: Licensed Amateurs can build their own WiFi computer networks that encompass entire neighborhoods.
You can participate with the Seattle Auxiliary Communication Service. You can help out with West Seattle Be Prepared in disaster preparedness. On any night of the week you can tune into radio nets across the city. You can help produce events like The West Seattle Parade, or any of the Seafair parades around the city. The list of events is endless. The level of expertise varies with the many events. The bottom line is, there is something for everyone.
To get into the hobby, you need to take a FCC test. From time to time, WSARC holds training classes to help you prepare for those tests. And they also have the certified personnel to give the tests too. The filing fee for the test is $15, and the license is good for 10 years. And no, you don’t need to learn Morse Code. The costs of the hobby vary, depending what you want to do. But you can get started with a handheld UHF/VHF radio, for under $50. Currently the FCC shows more than 330 Licensed Amateur operators in the West Seattle area alone.
Membership in the West Seattle ARC is $12 a year. We meet weekly on the air on Mondays at 6:30 PM using the club repeater, W7AW. Each month we gather for breakfast on the 3rd Sunday (this month, that’s May 17th) at 9:30 am, at Young’s Restaurant at 9413 16th Ave SW, just a half block north of Roxbury.
If you would like more information, you can send your inquiries to info@westseattlearc.org.
What was on the 911 log as an “aid response” – usually a minor-injury incident – early this morning turns out to have been a stabbing in the Westwood Village area, report Seattle Police:
Seattle Police and King County Deputies arrested a man Sunday who fled following a 4 AM stabbing … An employee of a restaurant in the 2500 block of SW Barton St. was attacked and stabbed twice, once in the chest and once in the head, before the 23-year-old suspect fled on foot.
A Seattle K-9 officer tracked the suspect toward an area in unincorporated King County and called King County Deputies for assistance. Deputy Cueva found the suspect at 25 Ave. SW and SW 100th St. where he was taken into custody without incident.
The employee suffered non-life threatening injuries and was treated and released at the scene. Officers located a four-inch folding blade knife at the scene. Officers have booked the suspect into King County Jail for investigation of Assault.
Thanks to David Hutchinson for the photo and update:
The goslings along Harbor Ave are growing up fast and are almost a month old now. One of the original three disappeared a few days ago but they were joined by a family with 5 others late last month. Looks like that will probably be all for this year.
David also shared a photo here in April (there, you’ll also see links to his lovely gosling photos from previous years).
Beach-ing or boating today? We start with two views from our summery Saturday – above, Rebecca shared the view from Argosy’s Goodtime II passing Alki en route back from Blake Island and below, from Upper Alki, JayDee caught a view of the Seattle Yacht Club‘s regatta before, according to its website, it was abandoned due to “light air”:
(Click either image for a larger view.) Now, on to our calendar highlights for the day ahead – whether you’re celebrating Mother’s Day or just the second day of the weekend:
POST-GARAGE SALE DAY DONATIONS: Until 11 am, Clothes for the Cause collection continues at Alki Elementary (3010 59th SW); 10 am-3 pm, Stop n Shop at the Senior Center of West Seattle is taking dropoffs on the alley in back (SW Oregon just east of California SW); for details and other ongoing donation sites, see our big list.
WEST SEATTLE FARMERS’ MARKET: Flowers, treats, all manner of freshness. 10 am-2 pm in The Junction. (44th/Alaska)
FLASH MOTHER’S DAY SALE: Shop local with/for Mom! 40 percent off at The General Store Seattle (WSB sponsor), in person or online. Open 10-7 today. (3400 Harbor SW)
TAKE MOM TO THE MUSEUM: Noon-4 pm, regular hours at the home of West Seattle’s history, the Log House Museum. (61st/Stevens)
‘ANGRY HOUSEWIVES’: 3 pm at ArtsWest Playhouse (WSB sponsor) – almost sold out as of our check moments ago, but go here to see if tickets are available. (4711 California SW)
JEREMY SERWER: 3-5 pm, Jeremy Serwer performs folk/Americana music live at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor); no cover. (5612 California SW)
LADIES MUSICAL CLUB: 3 pm at West Seattle (Admiral) Library – “Join us for a Mother’s Day concert featuring music by Schumann, Granados, Bernstein and a U.S. premiere of Alfred Tokayer.” Free. (2306 42nd SW)
This weekend’s Highway 99 closures north of downtown are over; not only is that mentioned briefly as an update to this alert, we can attest to it firsthand, having just had to drive to Green Lake and back. Meantime, the eastbound high bridge lane closure of which SDOT warned the other day IS under way, closing the outside lane between the Delridge onramp and the crest of the high rise.
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