West Seattle, Washington
16 Saturday
(WCN/WSB photo)
While Seattle city leaders debate how to help people experiencing homelessness, King County is converting one of its buildings in White Center into an “enhanced shelter” for 70 people. From West Seattle to Burien, there’s no shelter of any kind that’s anywhere close to that size, says the county official who’s leading the project. Looking ahead to a community meeting this Thursday night in White Center, we’ve been reporting on this on partner site White Center Now. Our newest report – published early today – has full details of the county’s plan for the building at 8th SW/SW 108th – read it here.
MONDAY MORNING UPDATE: We have just confirmed with Madeleine’s mother that her daughter has been found and is OK.
ORIGINAL SUNDAY MORNING REPORT: Read More
Last weekend, we brought you the story of Ruth Parker Winquist, who as of today is West Seattle’s newest centenarian. Linda Ball, who wrote that story for WSB, was at the official birthday party today and reports that “probably 30 or so extended family members and friends (were there) honoring Ruth.” Linda’s photos also include a picture of the mayoral proclamation in honor of Ruth’s “amazing feat.” And here’s the birthday honoree with some of the partygoers:
Among those in attendance was Ruth’s daughter Sallie Morris, who arranged the party refreshments, and who also was the first person to tell us about her mom’s milestone. Happy hundredth to Ruth!
School can be tough – not just academically. Tomorrow, Elite Brazilian Jiu-jitsu of Seattle (5050 Delridge Way SW; WSB sponsor) is offering a FREE workshop on confidence-building and how to handle bullying. It’s for students 6-13, and their parents, 10 am-noon on Saturday (September 10th). Elite BJJ explains, “Most of this session will be an honest discussion about the mental preparation required to handle and defuse situations,” and parental presence is required so the info can be “reinforced and re-communicated” afterward. Go here ASAP to RSVP. Again, this is free, but if you can help, Coach Sonia Sillan reminds us that “Elite BJJ of Seattle is always in support of New Beginnings. Every event, we ask for donations (gift cards – Fred Meyer/Target/Visa; check; full-sized toiletries).”
(Family photo of Avery Berg as her 5th-grade year concluded)
“She’s one hell of a kid.”
That’s how Kristie Berg describes her daughter Avery, who starts middle school Wednesday at Explorer West.
The move from elementary to middle school is challenge enough for any child, any family, but things got unimaginably more complicated for the Bergs just a few weeks ago, when Avery was diagnosed with a brain tumor.
We found out about it from family friend Alana, who e-mailed WSB on Labor Day weekend.
Avery’s mom has been writing online about her family’s journey. From today’s entry: “My baby girl confidently walked into her middle school orientation this morning with half her head shaved and a pair of glasses with one eye blocked with scotch tape. She hasn’t been able to take a shower for days as she had a surgery last Friday and then ended up having an emergency shunt surgery on Sunday. And yet she still walked in with her head held high and her spirit eager and ready to embark on this adventure. I have never been so impressed with someone in my life.”
A few days earlier, Kristie wrote that she doesn’t know how the school year will go – after day two, on Thursday night, Avery is scheduled to start radiation therapy, which she will need five times a week for six weeks, in addition to six months of chemotherapy. The type of tumor she is fighting, AT/RT (Atypical Teratoid/Rhabdoid Tumor), is rare – 100 cases a year in the U.S., almost all diagnosed in infancy. But Avery was approaching her 11th birthday, on vacation with her family in August, when, Kristie recalls, she “casually mentioned she had been seeing double for a few weeks. And in that instant, our life changed.”
You can read all of Kristie’s updates – many with video of updates by Avery, who has a remarkable sense of humor (don’t miss the story of “Bob”) – by going here. She dubbed the updates “Step by Step with Awesome Avery,” and that’s the title of her mom’s website, too.
Kristie told us via e-mail, “These past three weeks have been unbelievably hard, but our community has been incredible. We should all be so lucky to live in a place with such supportive neighbors and friends. We’d love to extend this invitation to our entire West Seattle crew and have any attention we can brought to fighting pediatric brain tumors.”
The invitation to which she refers is an invitation to support friends and relatives’ team, Awesome Avery, for the Run of Hope coming up on September 25th to raise money for researching pediatric brain tumors. Avery’s dad Joe Berg has a fundraising page here. You can donate there and/or run by registering here.
By Linda Ball
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
Ruth Parker Winquist doesn’t say much these days, but when she does, it’s said with a dry, quick wit. Out of nowhere, Winquist remembers “someone daring someone else to lick a cow pie.” Good fun back in the day!
It is not very often that a centenarian is in our midst. Winquist is a week away from that milestone – on Saturday, September 10th, she plans to celebrate her 100th birthday with family, at her home in Brookdale Admiral Heights, where she has lived for more than 10 years.
Winquist was born in Portland in 1916 to Charles Arthur Parker and Ella Ethelyn Gabriel. She was the middle child of three – sister Nancy, born in 1914, is gone now, but brother Ben, born in 1921, lives in Mill Valley, Calif., and talks on the phone with Ruth every Sunday. Her earliest memory is when her mother took she and Nancy to see French Marshal Ferdinand Foch in a parade after World War I. Her mother thought it was important for her daughters to see a real war hero. Read More
(A proposed window sign/button design by Hate-Free Delridge’s Rob Becker, held by Susan Lebow)
By Linda Ball
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
What started out four weeks ago with a meeting of concerned neighbors reacting to a hate crime in Pigeon Point has developed into a cohesive grass-roots group, determined to bring people together with the message of tolerance, inclusion, and community.
The core group met again, this time at Lisa Kauffman’s Puget Ridge home. Present were Rob Becker, Dave Gamrath, Stu Hennessey, Susan Lebow, Steve Richmond, and Pavan Vangipuram, all of whom have been with the group from the start (along with Rachel Glass, who was unable to attend).
Hennessey said he has spoken with the victim, Stephanie Endres. She wasn’t able to attend the meeting but said she’s aware of what’s being done by the group, called Hate-Free Delridge, as first reported here last month. Now, details for its official introduction and mission-kickoff event later this month have been firmed up: Read More
(Boeing photo, republished with permission)
Boeing has announced the passing of a legend, Joe Sutter, 95, who also happened to be a longtime West Seattle resident. Mr. Sutter is best known as “the father of the 747,” but the message from Boeing Commercial Airplanes president/CEO Ray Conner adds that he had accomplished much more:
This morning we lost one of the giants of aerospace and a beloved member of the Boeing family. … Joe lived an amazing life and was an inspiration – not just to those of us at Boeing, but to the entire aerospace industry. He personified the ingenuity and passion for excellence that made Boeing airplanes synonymous with quality the world over.
Early in Joe’s career, he had a hand in many iconic commercial airplane projects, including the Dash 80, its cousin the 707 and the 737. But it was the 747 – the world’s first jumbo jet – that secured his place in history.
Joe led the engineering team that developed the 747 in the mid-1960s, opening up affordable international travel and helping connect the world. His team, along with thousands of other Boeing employees involved in the project, became known as the Incredibles for producing what was then the world’s largest airplane in record time – 29 months from conception to rollout. It remains a staggering achievement and a testament to Joe’s “incredible” determination.
Long after he retired, Joe remained very active within the company. He continued to serve as a consultant on the Commercial Airplanes Senior Advisory Group, and he was still a familiar sight to many of us working here. By then his hair was white and he moved a little slower, but he always had a twinkle in his eye, a sharp mind and an unwavering devotion to aerospace innovation and The Boeing Company. Fittingly, he was on hand to celebrate our centennial at the Founders Day weekend. He was one of a kind.
Joe was loved. He made a difference in the world. He made a difference to us. We will miss him and cherish our time with him.
Here’s a biographical tribute video from the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, which awarded Mr. Sutter its Lifetime Achievement trophy in 2013:
He also told the story of the first jumbo jet in a book published in 2007 and titled simply “747.”
ADDED 8:26 PM: The Seattle Times has added more information to its report on Mr. Sutter’s passing, including quoting his son as saying he had a bout with pneumonia just before his death.
By Linda Ball
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
The fledgling group formed in response to a hate crime against a Pigeon Point family has named itself “Hate-Free Delridge” and is planning a community event.
We first reported two weeks ago about the group’s formation, in response to the racist, threatening note left on the porch of Stephanie Endres and her family last month.
The group just met for the second time. Its goal is to bring the community together while fostering acceptance, tolerance, and inclusion. Read More
(Photos courtesy Elite BJJ of Seattle)
Congratulations to Coach Sonia Sillan of Elite Brazilian Jiu-jitsu of Seattle (5050 Delridge Way SW; WSB sponsor) for her achievement in her first competition as a purple belt. At the recent IBJJF Seattle Open, she took third place in her division (at right in the top photo). From sister school Elite BJJ of Redmond, black belt Professor Jessica Dos Santos took second place in her division and first in open weight class – she’s in the next photo along with Elite BJJ founder/head Professor Miriam Cardoso:
Elite BJJ of Seattle is one of the local organizations and businesses you’ll see at tomorrow’s Delridge Day festival (11 am-3 pm at Delridge Community Center park) – look for their booth! (And look for one more big Delridge Day preview here on WSB – a festival co-sponsor – this afternoon.)
Story and photo by Linda Ball
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
Motivated by last week’s hate crime against the Endres family on Pigeon Point, 10 concerned neighbors got together tonight to talk about what they could do to make the family feel safe in their community.
On Tuesday night last week, someone left a racist, threatening note on the door of the Endres home. The disturbing message made it clear that the author did not appreciate her mixed-race children.
Rachel Glass, the precinct committee officer for the area, organized tonight’s meeting at a nearby coffee shop. Read More
(Photos by Ellen Hoke, courtesy The Great Pacific Race)
Another achievement for the West Seattle-residing ocean rower who holds world records including having become the first solo human-powered global circumnavigator: Erden Eruç and a rowing partner completed The Great Pacific Race, billed by its organizers as “the world’s ultimate endurance challenge.” Eruç and Louis Bird, as the Sons of the Pacific team, made the ~2,400-nautical-mile crossing from Monterey, California, to Honolulu, Hawaii in 54 days and 42 minutes, arriving last Thursday.
Eruç had joined the team days before departure, after Bird’s original partner had to drop out because of illness. The two connected after Bird met Eruç’s wife Nancy Board at a memorial service in San Francisco, and Eruç said he felt he had to fill in, “as an elder in the sport of ocean rowing.” (He celebrated his 55th birthday during the race.) Bird is the son of ocean-rowing legend Peter Bird, who set a record with 938 days of ocean rowing before being lost at sea when his son was just 4 – Eruç has come close to that with 933 days in all after this trip.
This was the second running of The Great Pacific Race; the first was in 2014, the next scheduled for 2018. This year, it had six teams of two or four rowers, all starting the journey on June 4th; Eruç and Bird were the fourth to finish (the first was a four-person crew) and the last finishers are due in Hawaii tomorrow.
(Thanks to Vlad Oustimovitch for the tip on this!)
(Animation courtesy MyPad3D)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
The Urban Homestead Foundation‘s dream for the former Dakota Substation on Genesee Hill is starting to take shape and take wing.
We first reported on this back in May, when the group discussed its plan at a meeting of the Admiral Neighborhood Association.
That was five months after the City Council passed an ordinance addressing the future of local surplus ex-substations, including the one at 50th and Dakota (map), agreeing to give community members until fall of next year to buy it, before they list it on the open market.
So the Urban Homestead Foundation has a deadline. And it has a 3-D animation version of its vision for the site, produced and donated by West Seattle-headquartered MyPad3D, at the top of this story.
We sat down recently with UHF president Katie Stemp (above), under the shady trees out front of the site she and other volunteers hope to transform.
Here’s where they’re at: Read More
(WSB photo from July 2012)
For the first time in four years, tribal canoe families are scheduled to stop at Alki Beach during the annual regional canoe journey. Canoe families from around the region are headed into the South Sound on the Paddle to Nisqually, and the Muckleshoots are scheduled to host them at Alki on Wednesday (July 27th). Participating canoes are due to land in Nisqually three days later for a weeklong event. We don’t yet know the expected arrival time nor how many canoes are expected, but hope to get more information soon.
1:30 PM: After a reader tip about what appeared to be a tent encampment setting up along Myers Way – near where other campers have been living on slopes and in RVs – we went over to check it out, and that’s exactly what we found. It’s being set up in a fenced area immediately south of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints building; we haven’t figured out yet who owns the land, nor did the person we spoke with know. (The church owns 2 1/2 acres, and property boundaries aren’t obvious; online records show a small streetfront parcel south of the church is owned by a dump-truck company.) He identified it as the “Second Chance” camp, with 25 residents, a self-policing camp with strict no-drugs/alcohol/violence policies.
Since visiting the site less than an hour ago, we’ve done some online research, and it appears this is “Camp Second Chance Through Grace,” listed on this citywide clearinghouse website as having had a sanctioned site at a church a few miles south for the past three months. Another page on the same site says CSCTG is a “family camp.” It is still in the process of setting up, and only a few people, all appearing to be adults, were in view.
P.S. Elsewhere on Myers Way, we observed that RVs are no longer parked in the area outside the gates to the city-owned land on the west side of the street; we counted about half a dozen parked on both sides of the street to the north. The area by the gates had been a “staging area” for some RV campers that were expected to move to a “safe lot” in Highland Park but the city scrapped the idea before it ever opened.
4:55 PM: After commenter Ben questioned whether this was indeed “Camp Second Chance,” we went to the church listed as the camp’s home until today, where we verified that encampment had indeed moved out today, and headed to a site on Myers Way.
ADDED TUESDAY MORNING: We e-mailed the address listed on the Greater Seattle Cares website to try to find out more; here’s the reply we received this morning from Polly Trout, executive director of Patacara Community Services:
Camp Second Chance is currently in dire need of a new site. As of July 18, they are temporarily located at 9502 Myers Way South, Seattle WA 98106. This parcel is privately owned and right next to the Myers Parcels, unused City of Seattle property. The camp is working very hard to find a better solution. Most likely, a city eviction notice will be issued today and the camp will have 72 hours to move or be swept.
The camp has been self-governing since April, when the founding members left Tent City 3 in order to create an independent camp more aligned with their needs and values. I have been providing supportive services to the camp for the last two months and have gotten to know them well. This is a model encampment with excellent and ethical leadership. The camp is clean, quiet, drug and alcohol free, and well managed. The community works cooperatively as a team to solve problems and meet the needs of the campers. They have a democratic governing process and an outstanding core leadership committee.
Currently, the camp has 25 members, but would like to increase to 40 if possible. They need to be located on a bus line and have access to water. My nonprofit, Patacara Community Services, is committed to providing the camp with Honeybucket services. Ideally, the camp would be able to plug into the church’s electrical power to run the camp refrigerator. If they do not have power access, they do have a generator. They also will need trash removal, and we can work with the church to find a solution that is economical. If your church has the room to host but is on a tight budget, the camp can contribute to your utilities bills for the duration of their stay. They collect dues from participants to cover basic expenses, and my nonprofit also fundraises donations for them.
The camp members are a mixture of families and single people. Most are working; some are disabled, parenting, retired, or looking for work. They are receiving supportive services and wait listed for housing.
The camp needs at least 7,000 square feet to function properly, and 10,000 is better. If your church wants to help but doesn’t have the space, and private land can be used. The land owner can legally lease the land to your church for a dollar and then the religious encampment laws extend to that land and allow you to host an encampment on the land. So if anyone in your congregation has unused property on a bus route with water access, that land can be used. If your church or a private landowner wants to help but can’t afford to, we can fundraise for rent.
A policy brief about why encampments are necessary, written by Seattle University’s Homeless Rights Advocacy Project, can be viewed here: https://law.seattleu.edu/centers-and-institutes/korematsu-center/initiatives/homeless-rights-advocacy-project
The Washington State law concerning the right of religious groups to host encampments can be viewed here: http://app.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=36.01.290
Patacara Community Services is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit; our EIN number is 46-3744862. Our mission is to provide services to those who are suffering, and our current programming focuses on offering respectful and compassionate service to those suffering from homelessness and poverty in King County, Washington.
One year ago, award-winning educator Marcus Pimpleton left his longtime music-leadership roles at Denny International Middle School and Chief Sealth International High School for a new career direction, school administration, saying he wanted “to learn what it takes to be the type of leader that can help to ensure that all students have access to the high level instruction and experiences that put them on the path for successes in school, college, and life.”
Now that new direction is bringing him back to West Seattle: Pimpleton is returning to Denny IMS as assistant principal, the same position he held at Bellevue’s Interlake High School this past year. Here’s part of how he explained his decision to his now-former colleagues there:
Denny has always been a special place near and dear to my heart. When my grandmother passed away during my 5th grade year, it was a teacher from my elementary school who followed me to Denny and rallied together a community of teachers, counselors, and school administrators to support and nurture me along the path of middle school, high school, college, and beyond. Their deposit into my life is the inspiration for my life’s work which I sincerely believe is to provide leadership that expands educational opportunities for our most impacted students in our most challenged communities. The opportunity to go deeper into this calling in my own neighborhood, in the very school where I was the recipient of this type of leadership and nurturing, is too special of an opportunity to pass up.
Pimpleton has kept a hand in the world of music education as director of the All-City Band (whose busy summer includes three West Seattle events later this month).
“We are very pleased to welcome Mr. Pimpleton back as our new Assistant Principal!” Denny principal Jeff Clark told WSB, when we asked him to confirm the news after hearing about it from several parents (thanks again to them for the tip). First day of classes this year is September 7th, but of course school staffers are back at work long before that.
(WSB photos/video unless otherwise credited)
At the start, we counted about 50 people … by the time it ended an hour later with a gathering where it had started, today’s #BlackLivesMatter demonstration in The Junction had at least tripled. We included some photos in our as-it-happened festival coverage, but have more to share, including video.
As announced, this was a silent march – no chanting or shouting; the background noise of the festival was most of what you would have heard if you had stood and watched. Some came to the festival just to participate, stopping at the Information Tent first to verify where it would begin.
Lashanna Williams, who organized the march, greeted the crowd, which proceeded to travel around the festival’s perimeter. Some carried signs; some did not. Some signs bore photos, some bore names – many names:
At least one bore a question:
Others, statements:
(Photo by BDP)
And some simply urged love:
After almost an hour, the march ended where it had begun, in the heart of The Junction. It was bookended by 360-degree group photos [see the 1 pm photo here] taken by the same photographer who minutes later was doing the same for the Southwest Seattle Historical Society’s campaign celebrating Junction history … as this became another page of it.
Announced via a Facebook event page, a demonstration at noon Saturday in The Junction, titled “Black Lives Matter: Silent march for youths and friends.” The link was e-mailed to us overnight; the times on the responses indicate it was announced sometime before 3:15 pm yesterday. Local volunteer and entrepreneur Lashanna Williams writes in the invitation:
Together we show that this has to stop, and we are the agents of change. We are. Our children are. We ARE agents of change.
Don’t wait for someone to change it…. Let’s do it.
Saturday at noon together, we will walk around the festival carrying the names of the black lives lost to police violence this year. Together we will hold space for the lives taken, we can create space for change, meaningful change.
My son, danté and my daughter, coco, will be just outside Easy Street Records at 12:00. They will help to lead silent peaceful protest line through the festival.
Kids, please bring your parents. Parents, please bring your kids and walk.
I know an hour doesn’t right all the wrongs, but it is a way to express our anger and sadness with our children, formulate thoughts with other adults, and just share space with others who are just DONE.
(Susan Melrose, Jenelle Clark, Lora Swift, photographed today by WSB’s Patrick Sand)
We first reported one month ago that West Seattle Junction Association executive director Susan Melrose is leaving after almost a decade. Today, an update on what happens next – here’s what Melrose just announced to WSJA members and other associates:
The Junction Association’s Board of Directors asked me to offer a staffing update to our community. I’m pleased to share that the staffing plan will leave the organization in very good hands.
As you already know, I have taken a new position and will be leaving the organization after Summer Fest. Additionally, Jenelle has decided to take a position with a different organization. Jenelle has been a tremendous asset to WSJA and has improved many aspects of the organization. The board is very appreciative of her efforts and dedication, and I know that sentiment is shared throughout our business community. Jenelle will also be with WSJA through Summer Fest.
The Board of Directors created an Interim Director position. I am thrilled to report that Lora Swift was offered the job, and she accepted! For those who do not know Lora, she owns Hotwire Coffeehouse, previously served on the board for many years, founded the Art Walk, chaired the Outdoor Movies series, and more. Lora has a tremendous depth of knowledge about the organization, and she’s looking forward keeping WSJA moving forward. She will start on July 1 and will work 24 hours/week. Lora will focus on keeping the BIA running smoothly and advancing select bodies of work.
The Board will continue to determine next steps in a securing permanent staffing plan and you’ll be kept abreast as developments occur.
I look forward to my 10th Summer Fest with the organization! Jenelle, Lora and I will all be on hand to make sure that this event is a great success for both Junction businesses and the neighborhood.
West Seattle Summer Fest (co-sponsored again this year by WSB) starts one week from Friday – this year’s dates are July 8, 9, and 10th.
Sonia Sillan from Elite BJJ of Seattle (WSB sponsor) in North Delridge wants you to know they still have some room in these two free seminars coming up:
WOMEN’S SELF-DEFENSE SEMINAR: This Saturday (July 2nd), a free two-hour seminar starting at 11 am: “Our goal is to leave you with more knowledge, feeling more empowered, and understanding of what self-defense really means (both mentally and physically).” More info here; go here ASAP to RSVP; open to all women/girls 10 and up.
KIDS’ BULLYPROOF SEMINAR: Two free sessions on Sunday, July 10th, ages 6-8 at 11 am, ages 9-12 at 1 pm: “Our approach is a very simple and fundamental one, focusing on empowering the student. It isn’t about telling on the bully; that can in fact make matters worse. It’s about having the confidence to believe in yourself and stand up to other kids.” More info here; RSVP ASAP by going here. Note – parents must attend too.
P.S. While the seminars are truly free, Coach Sonia adds this:
Elite BJJ of Seattle supports New Beginnings-Ending Domestic Violence and would like to ask for donations for their needs. Their mission is to empower survivors and mobilizes community awareness and action to end domestic violence, and they provide housing and support to victims and their families, but they can’t do it alone. If you are able, please donate anything from the following list:
– full size toiletries
– twin size bedding
– school supplies
– gift cards (QFC, Safeway, etc)
– school supplies
– check donation of any amount made out to New Beginnings
Maybe you saw them in Morgan Junction on Tuesday? Local volunteer and entrepreneur Lashanna Williams sent the photo from the first smile-inspiring field trip of The Kind Club. She says they were out in the neighborhood “giving out flowers, wishing people a good day, and waving some positive signs to the people driving by!” It’s for young women ages 8-11, explained here, and she says they have room for new members to join before the second meeting in two weeks.
(WSB photos)
The street party is on, rain or shine – note the jackets accompanying the leis – on a block of 48th SW near Ercolini Park tonight. The occasion: Today was the last day of classes for Seattle Public Schools, and these neighbors are Schmitz Park Elementary families, marking a double-milestone occasion: This was their students’ last day at Schmitz Park, with the new Genesee Hill Elementary opening in September.
The band Däd – with the umlaut! – was delayed a bit due to the rain, but the show must go on:
Greeters Amy and Brooke explained part of the inspiration for the party was the pig-roast prize won at the school fundraising auction; a few of the neighbors had the winning bid. Summertime also brings “Aloha Friday” get-togethers at the park, and since the last day of school was a Friday this year, the theme just fit:
P.S. Thanks for calling to let us know about the party!
(Photo courtesy WSCC)
Another local faith community is hosting a celebration of longtime leaders who are about to retire. From West Seattle Christian Church in The Junction:
West Seattle Christian Church invites the community to celebrate Alan and Lois Gardner’s retirement on June 26th in the church’s Activity Center. Since the 1970s they have been a special part of the West Seattle community and the church. Alan served first as Minister of Christian Education and later as Preaching Minister. Lois (aka “Mrs. Gardner”) is beloved by her former preschool and kindergarten students at West Seattle Christian School. They’ve touched so many. Please join in honoring them. The service is at 9:30 am Sunday and there will be a social time after the service.
The church and Activity Center are at 4400 42nd SW.
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