West Seattle, Washington
06 Friday
Thanks to Kathy for sending us this flyer, which she also plans to post on the door of the Jade West Café, closed since a drunk driver hit proprietor Wah Wong and his son Jason outside their Beacon Hill home almost 3 months ago: Friends have organized a fundraising lunch and silent auction next month, to help the family with expenses including medical bills – as just one example, the flyer mentions that a prosthetic leg for Jason, who lost part of one leg, could cost up to $50,000.
The benefit will be noon-4 pm April 11 at Perché No Pasta and Vino, 1319 North 49th (map). Tickets are $35 for a three-course meal, live music and the silent auction. They’re still taking donations for the silent auction, and also accepting contributions if you can’t attend the event but would like to help; call Chris at 206-227-7943 or Daniel at 206-409-9590. Kathy, who sent the flyer, says she’s hoping West Seattle businesses might consider contributing.
(Our archived coverage of the Wong family’s story, including last month’s sentencing of the drunk driver and West Seattleites’ outpouring of well-wishes after first news of the crash, can be read here, in reverse chronological order.)
From left, that’s Southwest Precinct Captain Joe Kessler with Michael LaFranchi and West Niver from the Kiwanis Club of West Seattle, as Kiwanians honored Capt. Kessler and his team as “Everyday Heroes.” The presentation at the precinct this past hour included not just a certificate, but also carrot cake – luckily things were fairly quiet, so some of the precinct leadership and officers were able to take a quick break for the occasion, right after second watch roll-call. (video added 12:35 pm)
Past Kiwanis honorees, as noted in the video, have included West Seattle’s firefighters; West Seattle Kiwanis meets three times a month at Be’s Restaurant in The Junction – 7 am breakfast meetings the 1st and 3rd Wednesday, noon the 2nd Wednesday – and presents special events, like the Charity Motorcycle Run and Car Show coming up May 15 – read all about it here.
(February 2009 photo by Christopher Boffoli)
That photo’s from WSB coverage a year ago, when a group of local “Rosie the Riveters” appeared at The Mount with stories and songs about their World War II-era exploits. Just got word from one of them, Georgie Bright Kunkel, that a group of Rosies – plus a WAVE – will be at Daystar Retirement Village in Westwood this Thursday, 11:30 am. They’re planning a sing-along of WWII-era songs, according to Georgie, who adds, “The host is the First Thursday Democrats, who meet there every month.”
Story and photos by Keri DeTore
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
You’ve seen the stairways that emerge from dense foliage on our steep West Seattle hillsides. Perhaps you’ve wondered where they lead or descend to; perhaps you’ve even climbed some of them. Our staircases can be at once daunting and convenient. It’s a steep slope from California Avenue to 44th Avenue SW near Hamilton Viewpoint, but those stairs, all 78 of them, provide you with easy pedestrian access from one road to the other and eliminate the need to wander blocks out of your way.
Bob Estep knows those steps, and many more. He is a walker — up to 6 miles per day. Inspired by a recent article in the Seattle Times (WSB citywide-news partner) about an architect who mapped the staircases on Queen Anne Hill, Bob thought, “Why don’t I do that for West Seattle?”
And so, he has.
If you drive past Walking on Logs at the Fauntleroy end of the West Seattle Bridge over the next week or two, you’ll see the sculptures dressed in Girl Scout garb, thanks to Troop 43141, fifth-grades who are second-year junior Scouts. We rolled a bit of video this afternoon as they embarked on what’s become an annual tradition just before cookie sales begin – decorating Walking on Logs, then picking up trash around the sculptures.
Troop 43141 is one of 25 West Seattle troops selling cookies this year – more than 30,000 boxes for starters between them, as we showed you in our story about the troops’ cookie pickup at a local loading dock last Saturday. Cookie sales start Friday and continue through March 14. Troop 43141’s leader Cynthia Voth and assistant leader Barb McGlothlin were at bridgeside with most of their 10 Scouts this afternoon, slogging through the muddy slopeside as traffic zoomed by – and gathering them for a group photo before they wrapped up:
Official permission to decorate Walking on Logs goes through the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce, in case you wondered. And sometimes, items get left behind; Voth noticed a hobby-horse bearing the name “Roller Bull” was still at Walking on Logs, possibly from the Rat City Rollergirls‘ most recent stint decorating the site. She’s going to hold onto it for a week or so in case anyone wants to claim it (we’ll put you in touch with her if it’s yours, or if you’re interested). Meantime, look for Troop 43141 and others at locations around West Seattle starting Friday – the parent organization promises a Cookie Locator search box will be on their website once sales start, so you know where to find them and when.
Our video shows the scene inside the Alaska Marine Lines loading dock on West Marginal Way SW this morning – about two hours after West Seattle’s 30,000 boxes of Girl Scout Cookies arrived, and about two hours before they were all scheduled to be gone, picked up by reps of the 25 troops selling cookies in our area this year. From outside the dock:
As always, volunteers young and old helped out – coordinated by West Seattle Service Unit Cookie Manager Cheryl Brown – including this group we got to stop down for a photo:
What’s new this year, you ask? Two things: First, the new flavor is Thank You Berry Munch, described as:
Real, premium cranberries provide a delightful tartness in these hearty cookies sweetened with creamy white fudge chips.
And of course, as you probably noticed in the video, older faves are still available too, like Samoas, Thin Mints, last year’s new flavor Dulce de Leche …But here’s what’s really big: The Cookie Locator. Once cookie sales officially begin next Friday, February 26th, the Girl Scouts of Western Washington website will have a spot for you to enter your zip code and find the locations and times where you’ll find cookie sales nearby! (Around Western Washington, Cheryl says, 18,844 girls sold 2,773,288 boxes of cookies last year; 112,569 were donated to Operation Cookie Drop – you can buy a box of cookies to be donated to U.S. military personnel.)
As mentioned on the Delridge Grassroots Leadership site on Tuesday and in 
a Youngstown Cultural Arts Center e-mail update sent out this morning, a group of local teenagers is in Washington, D.C., right now, “representing Seattle and creative young people across the country at the historic concert ‘A Celebration of Music from the Civil Rights Movement‘,” as the Youngstown bulletin describes it, going on to say, “This opportunity was granted by the Grammy Foundation through Kathleen Allen, community arts liaison with Seattle Public Schools, when she was moved by the students’ performance for the opening of their exhibit at the Frye Art Gallery.” They’re the founding youth of Youngstown Records, which recently launched. The exhibit, created in collaboration with Youngstown-based ArtsCorps, is titled “I Wish I Knew Who I Was Before I Was Me,” is at The Frye Museum – free to see – through the end of May. The DC concert they attended, hosted by President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, is scheduled to air on PBS tomorrow night (read more about it here). Youngstown Arts Center, in North Delridge, is a hotbed of artistic exploration and talent – keep up with its classes and goings-on here. (Photo by, and used with permission of, Laura O’Quin) ADDED 6:26 PM: ArtsCorps just shared this update from the youth in DC:
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WestSide Baby executive director Nancy Woodland had reason to smile. WestSide Baby’s 9th annual Benefit Tea in Brockey Center at South Seattle Community College (WSB sponsor) on Puget Ridge was sold out long before the doors opened – check out the crowd:
Volunteers young and old made it a success – including ambassadors Sonja and Kelsey (wearing, and handing out, tiaras):
WestSide Baby’s website counted the guest list at more than 450; we’ve got messages out to find out the final tallies. WestSide Baby helps thousands of families and has lots of other ways for you to make sure they can keep doing it. 10:59 PM UPDATE: Nancy Woodland says the final guest count was 470 – and they raised more than $100,000. “Unbelievable and amazing and we are so very thankful!” she adds. ADDED 12:36 AM: Courtesy of Donna Ryan Photography, Rinku Wheaton speaking at the event, including her thoughts on being part of WestSide Baby’s “Giving Circle” (read more about it here):
You may have heard about the court ruling on Thursday ordering Seattle Public Schools to re-examine their use of a certain set of “reform math” books in local high schools (here’s the story from our partners at the Seattle Times). This morning, we’ve learned that retired math teacher Martha McLaren, one of the three people who took the case to court, is a West Seattle resident. She has a blog-format website with their reaction to the ruling – one of her co-plaintiffs is famous forecaster Cliff Mass – and previous updates, at seattlemathgroup.blogspot.com. The school district, which told the Times the ruling was “surprising,” is deciding whether to appeal.
Got word of this from Erika Schreder at the Washington Toxics Coalition: On Thursday, Dr. Molly Jones Gray from West Seattle Natural Medicine spoke to the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Superfund, Toxics and Environmental Health, during its hearing “Current Science on Public Exposure to Toxic Chemicals.” Dr. Gray participated in the WTC’s biomonitoring study “Earliest Exposures,” and Erika says her testimony was about the toxins found in her body while she was pregnant with her now-7-month-old son Paxton. WTC says the subcommittee is working toward an update of the federal Toxic Substances Control Act. Dr. Gray and others are asking for tougher laws to keep toxic substances out of products. You can read excerpts of her testimony and get a link to the video, by going to the WTC’s website.
Wednesday night at The Hall at Fauntleroy, smiles and energy spread among more than 150 volunteers as the West Seattle Family YMCA (WSB sponsor) kicked off its Partners With Youth campaign. Dinner, games and a raffle filled the evening.
That’s Dawn Baber (standing) and husband Carl (seated at her right). Partners With Youth raises money for activity scholarships and in-school programs, among other things (there’s a more detailed description in this report on last year’s fundraising success). Volunteers will be making phone calls as well as talking to prospective donors face-to-face in the weeks ahead. (You can also donate online.)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Hundreds – if not thousands by now – of West Seattleites have reached out to help the Haiti earthquake victims in ways big and small.
But Alki resident Angela Williams felt one thing was missing: A direct, personal, hands-on connection. “Any time there’s like a crisis or trauma, I have an overwhelming feeling to help or deal with the emotional aspect instead of just saying, ‘here’s a check’ … money seems like not doing enough, not connecting with event.”
Going to Haiti to try to personally connect wasn’t quite feasible, so the next best thing was to hatch a plan for people who care to connect with each other, while they learn about what’s happened in Haiti since the quake, and figure out how best to help.
We found out about Angela’s event through a Facebook event invitation that led to a somewhat mysterious website:
Received a couple of nice notes today that were really about YOUR response to requests for help, so we didn’t want to keep them all to ourselves. So often, if there’s a fundraiser, we report the money numbers – but we don’t always hear the numbers in terms of people who volunteer their time (among other things). First one is from Kim at Puget Sound Blood Center, re: their Bloodmobile drive outside Admiral Safeway last Saturday (previewed here):
There was a great turnout with 38 people registering to donate. Of these, our staff was able to collect 30 units of volunteered blood. We had 6 first time donors! Since each donation can go to three separate patients, this drive went towards saving or dramatically improving the lives of up to 90 sick patients in the Puget Sound area. In a matter of days/weeks, the volunteered blood will be in a local hospital saving someone’s life.
And from Romina at Neighborhood House, who has just lined up new mentors for local kids (the call went out four weeks ago):
I just wanted to say thank you for helping me make this Recruit-A-Mentor Challenge campaign at Neighborhood House a success. This campaign helped us get 11 new mentors in a span of just one month … The majority of our new mentors came from reading the post on WSB and in turn, we have mentors who live in the very community where our mentees come from. Couldn’t have been any better!
Thank you all for reaching out to help your neighbors in so many ways, big and small. Please keep sharing the requests for what’s needed and how people can help (here’s all the ways to send the info); we’ve got a few more in queue for later today.
(Photo by Cliff DesPeaux, used by permission of our partners at the Seattle Times)
Ready to roar onto the floor at KeyArena – those are the Throttle Rockets – one of the four Rat City Rollergirls teams who skated into 2010 with their first 2010 bout today (along with Grave Danger, Derby Liberation Front, and Sockit Wenches). Though their name hails from White Center (“Rat City”) and their home rink is downtown (KeyArena), there’s so much West Seattle presence on the RCRG, they’re practically a peninsula story. The teams battled each other to raise money for charities today – Lambert House for SW, Pinup Girls for DLF, Old Dog Haven for GD, Fisher House for TR. Next home appearance: March 6; info and ticket links for that date and the rest of the season are here. (Awaiting today’s bout stats, which should appear here.)
(3:49 am update: Early estimates – more than $3,400 raised! More numbers later today)
From WSB contributing reporter Jonathan Stumpf: That’s Beth Wood, the first of five acts on the night at the West Seattle Eagles‘ Junction HQ on Saturday night, as the Eagles rocked to raise money for relief work in Haiti. In the kitchen, volunteers worked to keep the crowd refreshed:
Five local beers — including brews from West Seattle’s Elliott Bay and White Center’s Big Al — were served for $4 alongside pulled pork sandwiches for the same price. Also donated, silent-auction items including tickets to the Rat City Rollergirls (whose season opens today at KeyArena), artwork from West Seattle resident Steve Klinkel, and a three-hour sailboat ride for four. Organizer Amy McGrath anticipated 350 people by the night’s end.
Even if you didn’t make it to the show, you can still help the Eagles reach out to help Haiti in these two ways: Contribute to Mercy Corps (here’s the link) – and/or bring new or gently used shoes to Eagles’ HQ at 4456 California SW (map) – they’re collecting through February 13th. 1:08 PM: Thanks to Colby for sharing a few more photos, spotlighting other acts at last night’s show – from Sledgeback:
And from Tacoma Finish:
Also on the bill: Hartwood and Midnight Idöls.
Late last night, we published a note from the Alki woman attacked while driving a Metro bus last weekend in Tukwila, saying King County Executive Dow Constantine would meet with her this afternoon, and asking for community support. 2 TV crews went to Alki to see if anyone showed up; we spotted them interviewing Constantine afterward, and went over to ask him how the conversation went: He said it went as well as it could, considering the circumstances:
You heard him talk about the strength of the driver and her family; her daughter is the one who first wrote publicly about the attack, in a post one week ago in the WSB Forums. As for what steps Constantine might seek to improve driver safety, he said it just might be time to revisit the idea of some physical barrier between drivers and passengers – it was studied several years ago, he said, and not pursued at the time.
Till 5 pm today, the Duwamish Tribe welcomes you to an open house as their West Seattle longhouse celebrates its first anniversary. Duwamish chair Cecile Hansen spoke about an hour and a half ago, saying the tribe has sent a letter to President Obama, trying to accelerate consideration of their longstanding quest for federal recognition – briefly granted during the end of the Clinton Administration, canceled in the early going of the Bush Administration, being fought in court as well as the political arena. While the Duwamish fight for their future, you can also learn about their past – they’re showing the film “Princess Angeline,” about Chief Sealth‘s eldest daughter, twice today, and the next showing is at 3 pm. Or just check out the exhibits – remember its full name is the Duwamish Longhouse and Cultural Center:
The Duwamish Longhouse celebrated its grand opening 1/3/2009 (our reports, with video, are here and here). It’s at 4705 West Marginal Way; here’s a map. (Other upcoming longhouse events are on the calendar here.)
We just received a note from the Alki woman beaten unconscious while working at her job as a Metro bus driver in Tukwila one week ago tonight. She is out of the hospital but wanted to get this message out and is hoping you will answer her call for a sign of support:
I am keeping this brief because it is hard for me still to keep concentration but I am the Metro Driver involved in the assault almost exactly one week ago in one hour from now.
Dow Constantine is meeting with me at my home tomorrow [Saturday]. Change needs to be done. I will not say where I live, but I am in the Alki area and he is coming at 2 tomorrow, Saturday. He needs to know this sort of thing is unacceptable. If folks show up to the beach with signs and presence, I believe he will see that this does not just affect drivers, but the public as well. We need to keep pressure on for change.
If you can support her – send this around – use the Share This feature beneath this item, or right-click on the headline to get the URL for this so you can send it any way you choose. While she does not want to publicize her name or address, we believe it’s the central part of the beach district (Bathhouse vicinity). Meantime, as reported here Wednesday, a 15-year-old boy is now charged with assault in connection with the attack.
We took that photo of Karen Spiel at this month’s North Delridge Neighborhood Council meeting, as she broke the news that after two decades in West Seattle, she’s heading downtown, which’ll be her home base as manager of a bigger group of Seattle Public Library branches. Good news is, you can say goodbye to her in person tomorrow – her farewell reception is 2:30-4 pm Saturday at the West Seattle (Admiral) Branch, 2306 42nd SW, with a brief program around 3 pm. Meantime, Wednesday is when schedules change for many library branches, as first detailed here; Delridge and High Point will go to 5 days a week, West Seattle and Southwest will be 7 days a week.
A month and a half after the Beacon Hill crash that seriously injured Jade West Cafe owner Wah Wong and his son Jason Wong, the drunk driver who hit them has pleaded guilty. King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office spokesperson Dan Donohoe confirms that 50-year-old Rodney James pleaded guilty to two counts of vehicular assault. He is scheduled for sentencing at 1 pm February 12th before King County Superior Court Judge Julie Spector, and Donohoe says prosecutors are recommending 30 months in prison (of a possible 10 years).
According to the original charging documents, his blood-alcohol level was .16 at the scene, twice the legal limit, and beer was found inside his car. The crash happened while he was “on a suspended sentence for reckless driving (amended from driving under the influence)” in a case from 11 months earlier, and James also had a record that included escaping from a Pennsylvania maximum-security prison in 1981 (without a description of why he was there). Jason Wong lost a leg after the crash; he and his father are both now home after weeks of inpatient care, but the restaurant’s future is not yet determined.
One thing for sure; The family has a pile of medical bills; donations can be made to the Save Jade West Cafe Fund at any Wells Fargo branch.
Thanks to Stacey for the reminder: The annual One-Night Count is under way right now around King County. Teams are fanning out to count how many people are sleeping outdoors; among them, according to his Facebook and Twitter pages, City Councilmember Tim Burgess. West Seattle and White Center are among the areas scheduled to be surveyed. During last year’s count, according to the stats here, almost 3,000 people were found sleeping without shelter around the county. 8:19 AM: West Seattleite Christi Stapleton, who was also among the volunteers, says other city leaders participated – she saw Mayor Mike McGinn and his wife, Peggy Lynch, “many members of the mayor’s staff,” City Attorney Pete Holmes, Council President Richard Conlin, and Councilmembers Sally Clark, Sally Bagshaw, and Mike O’Brien.
Just in from the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office:
A 15-year-old boy was charged today with assault in the second degree and assault in the third degree for attacking a METRO bus driver early last Saturday morning in Tukwila. The victim was beaten unconscious during the assault.
“Any assault on a bus driver is a very serious matter,” said King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg. “In addition to the harm to the bus driver, the passengers, other motorists and pedestrians are all put at risk when a driver is attacked,” Satterberg added.
Based on the victim’s injuries, assault second degree is the maximum charge. Because state law sets strict parameters for allowing adult prosecution, the 15-year-old defendant is not eligible for adult prosecution because of his age, lack of criminal history and other factors. However, King County Prosecutors will request a sentence above the standard range on the assault charge based on the seriousness of the offense and the risk to community safety.
Under state law, the standard sentence range in Juvenile Court for assault in the second degree is 15 to 36 weeks in detention, but prosecutors will recommend a sentence of over a year of incarceration if the defendant is convicted.
Two other boys, ages 16 and 17, were charged with malicious mischief in the first degree for breaking windows on the back door of the bus and damaging the door frame. Their cases are also required to remain in Juvenile Court where they each face a maximum sentence of up to 30 days in detention.
Two of the defendants remain in custody. The 16-year-old charged with malicious mischief is currently out of custody on electronic home monitoring. All three are scheduled for arraignment on Jan. 28 at 9 a.m. in Juvenile Court.
The victim’s daughter first talked about the incident in the WSB Forums, revealing her mom is an Alki resident; that post sparked our followup over the weekend. The family called on Metro to put more measures in place to protect drivers; Metro’s deputy general manager told us on Monday they will be looking at that.
This week’s highlights as West Seattleites keep reaching out with help for Haiti:
(added 9:45 am) ALKI BIKE AND BOARD: The Admiral shop is giving 20 percent of its labor income to Doctors Without Borders and the American Red Cross through March 1st. Alki Bike and Board owner Stu Hennessey says, “We hope the early spring weather will bring a lot of folks out on their bicycles and generate some very urgent funding from our local bicycle community. Bicycle tune ups and repairs increase through March 1st, with $20 out of $100 dollars going to these two relief operations. It is our hope that the Island Country of Haiti will be rebuilt in a sustainable, self sufficient manner to ensure the healthy future of its citizens.”
EDIE’S SHOES ON WEDNESDAY: Sara from Edie’s says both their locations (The Junction and Capitol Hill) will donate 20 percent of their shoe sales this Wednesday to the Red Cross‘s Haiti work.
PAGLIACCI ON THURSDAY: The Red Cross is also the beneficiary of Pagliacci Pizza‘s plan to donate all profits this Thursday.
ROCK 4 RELIEF ON THURSDAY: TIckets are on sale for the concert at Showbox SODO with a major West Seattle contingent involved in organizing and performing; see the poster with the lineup here; direct ticket link is here.
WEST SEATTLE EAGLES CONCERT ON SATURDAY: 8 pm at the Eagles’ aerie in The Junction, more live music to help Haiti – this time, with the proceeds to Mercy Corps, which has set up this page with more info on the concert as well as a way to donate right now. (Mercy Corps also has updates on Haiti activity via Twitter.)
EDDIE VEDDER SINGLE FUNDRAISER: West Seattle’s most famous rocker is donating proceeds of a cut you can download now for 99 cents – details here.
VALENTINE’S DAY ART SALE: Artist Stephanie Hargrave, co-owner of West Seattle’s smallclothes, is hosting a “Give Your Love to Haiti” art sale with all proceeds to Haiti relief on February 14 at her studio (across from smallclothes), according to a note Kelly forwarded. Click! Design That Fits (WSB sponsor) says co-owner Frances Smersh will sell jewelry as part of the fundraiser.
Several other West Seattle-linked Haiti fundraisers are ongoing – they’re listed here.
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