West Seattle, Washington
21 Saturday
That’s “Hipp T” from the staff at Providence Mount St. Vincent and Clara from Pegasus Pizza, delivering 10 donated pies from Pegasus to The Mount about an hour ago for their lunchtime conversation group to enjoy. This is the 16th year the group’s been meeting! Arlene Carter from The Mount explains, “The group consists of residents who cannot otherwise get out for lunch, and they appreciate so much the volunteers and vendors who provide them with a different meal every Friday for lunch!”
The forthcoming West Seattle Weekend Lineup will have more of what’s up tonight and beyond, but one event is just a few hours away – at 12:30 pm, the ceremony to give the West Seattle Bridge the new name Jeanette Williams Memorial Bridge, as a tribute to the late former City Councilmember who fought for the funding to make The Bridge reality a quarter-century ago. Her family will join Councilmember Tom Rasmussen and others at 3682 West Marginal Way (map) for the event, and you’re welcome too (here’s the invite).
Alki resident Rich Medved stepped up as acting county assessor after former assessor Scott Noble‘s drunk-driving arrest came to light – but his time in that role was cut short by a stroke suffered in mid-July. Three months later, he has lost his battle to recover, according to an announcement today from King County Council Chair Dow Constantine, who added, “Rich was well-liked within the Assessor’s Office and throughout county government and he will be greatly missed.” Until the stroke, Mr. Medved, 56, had been campaigning for the job in this fall’s election (five people are running now). He is survived by wife Teresa, four children and six grandchildren; no word yet on services.
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We reported last week on Alki Elementary student Vanessa Radke‘s trip to New York as a semifinalist in the TODAY show’s Kid Reporter contest. Today, her video was shown, and voting began – you can watch her video above; you can go to this page on the TODAY site to vote for her. (There’s also a cell-phone-text-voting option listed on that page.) Voting runs till 2 pm our time tomorrow afternoon, and then Vanessa will find out Wednesday if she’s moving on to the finals.
One week after they staged an impromptu, handwritten-signs-and-all counterdemonstration when a Referendum 71 opponent showed up outside the West Seattle Farmers’ Market, this contingent of Referendum 71 supporters is “back in action” today, as the subject line in a note from Corianton, sent along with that photo, put it. He says there’s been no sign today of anyone on behalf of the opposition, but pro-71 clergy members were planning to join them. (If you’re just catching up – a vote to approve Referendum 71 means the domestic-partnership-rights bill passed by the Legislature will take effect.) Here’s more info in the state voters’ guide; once again, we are voting entirely by mail now, so your ballot needs to be mailed or dropped off – here’s the list of boxes, including one in White Center – by Election Day (Nov. 3). ADDED 9:09 PM: We received photos of the interfaith pro-71 demonstration too, thanks to Kari Kopnick from Westside Unitarian Universalist Congregation:
ID’s from Kari: “From left, that’s Carmen McDowell, Unitarian Universalist Student Minister; Rev. Diane Darling, Alki Congregational United Church of Christ; Rev. Dr. Joanne Carlson Brown, Tibbetts United Methodist Church; Rev. Ann J. Eidson, Admiral Congregational Church; Rev. Peg Boyle Morgan, Westside Unitarian Universalist Congregation. Not pictured: members of Kol HaNeshamah, but they were there.”
Kari says Approve R-71 supporters will be back next Sunday, too.
10-year-old Vanessa Radke of West Seattle gets to “skip school on Monday,” as her mom Sara Satterlee put it, for what you’d probably agree is a good reason — she’s flying to New York to be on NBC’s nationally broadcast TODAY show. Sara says her daughter – an Alki Elementary School student and former West Seattle Hi-Yu Festival Junior Princess – has made it to the final 16 in the show’s “Kid Reporter” contest, and will be interviewed live on the show Monday. Contestants were asked to put together a video report and mail it in; we asked Sara about Vanessa’s entry:
Her submission was videotaped with her father a few weeks down at Alki Beach. She did a quick one minute bit on how to conserve water. The video starts out with her intro about water with the back drop being Puget Sound on the sandy shores of Alki Beach. She then cuts to her in her grandma’s kitchen telling her viewers that there are just three simple steps everyone could follow that could help everyone. Scene fades to her brushing her teeth, and her explaining the importance of tuning off the water while brushing It then fades into a dishwashing session and Vanessa tells her audience that they need to fill the sink, turn off the water, wash the dishes, and then rinse. For the final few scenes it is apparent from her wet hair and that she is wrapped up tight in a robe that she is fresh out of the shower. As she walks across the living room she describes to her viewer that by cutting your shower back by only one minute, saves water. As she wraps up her video she recaps how three simple steps can help so much.
Sara says a producer interviewed Vanessa by phone yesterday and then extended the invite to them to fly to NY for the show – they’re flying out Sunday, then returning right afterward on Monday. You’ll get the chance to vote for her to make it to the next round: Checking TODAY online, looks like this is the second week they’ll be featuring a group of four semifinalists on Monday, opening the voting by text message, then announcing the winner from that group on Wednesday; then in early November there’ll be another round of voting after the group of finalists is set. Besides getting to report for TODAY, the winner gets a Caribbean cruise. (Here’s the first group of semifinalists from last week; an Oklahoma girl got the most votes in that group.) TODAY airs on KING 5 here in Seattle, 7-11 am weekdays (we’ll be checking to see what time Monday you’re likely to see Vanessa).
Coming up this Saturday, an intriguing presentation at West Seattle’s Southwest Community Center, just announced as part of the city’s Youth Violence Prevention Initiative – read on for details:Read More
One more reminder that two benefits are coming up to raise money to help Cafe Revo‘s founding family deal with the medical bills left after the untimely death of co-founder Chef Sean “Chano” Goff last month. The first one is tomorrow night – “dinner and a movie” at The Sanctuary at Admiral – dinner is 4-course Italian, movie is “The Big Night” (trailer above). You can buy tickets in advance at Cafe Revo (WSB sponsor), 2940 SW Avalon Way; here’s the official flyer. The second benefit is the Westenders-presented “Operation Chano” on November 7th; more on that here.
The photo’s from Kendall, sent “live” a few hours ago from opening night at Shipwreck Tavern – he reported a capacity crowd — and wrote more about it at Washington Beer Blog. Hours earlier, Saturday morning, we stopped by all three high-school-fundraising car washes – all reporting a brisk business in the early going! – top to bottom in the next three photos, it’s Chief Sealth (check the fall colors in the background) at Boren, Seattle Lutheran at Swedish Automotive (WSB sponsor), and West Seattle High School at WSHS:
Last but not least, folks fueled up for a busy Saturday by starting the morning at Alki Lodge 152‘s pancake breakfast –
For a look ahead to what’s happening today, here’s the latest West Seattle Weekend Lineup.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
That spot under the high-rise bridge- a stone’s throw from the low bridge – is at the heart of a no-man’s land of sorts – where multiple jurisdictions have ownership and interests, on the shore of a channel at the north end of the Duwamish. Other interests there are those of residents like a great blue heron known as “Grandpa“:
Pull back, and you can see where he is:
Turn in the other direction, here’s what you see:
That’s Jim Clark Marina. Not just a place to keep your boat when you’re not on it – it’s also headquarters to Neal Chism‘s cleanup mission removing trash from marina waters and a nearby section of the Duwamish – hand tools and all.
The grabber is store-bought, but the other item is an invention – a $3 office-item sorting basket tacked to a piece of wood.
With those items, and a few others, Neal has been fishing trash out of the waterway, and pulling it from the shore, for about four months now. As he explains it:
Around about the first of June this year I reached a point where I could no longer stand to look at all the trash that was building up in the parking lot area out in front of our small marina on Harbor Island. At the same time, I was frustrated at the fact that while trash was floating in the waters of the marina just a few feet away from the boat docks I could not reach it.
He is a self-described “semi-retired engineer,” so of course he’s been tracking what he’s finding and making charts:
That chart shows the volume fluctuation in the trajectory of trash he has been picking up on nearby beaches along the waterway – just within a mile or so; the beaches have nicknames, like “Safe,” where a discarded safe turned up once, and “Seal Pup,” for a little critter who turned up there. They aren’t sandy beaches like Alki – more rocky shores, like this one on the north side of the bridge, not far from a pocket park on Port of Seattle land:
Also nearby, a city sewer-line project related to the reason we first heard from Neal – a big project under the bridge (something we’ll follow up on separately!):
But first, more about what he’s doing and why. Neal cites the infamous story of the Great Garbage Patch in the middle of the Pacific – hundreds of miles wide, a repository for trash, particularly plastic, that starts a million places that ultimately feed into the ocean. Neal says he traveled extensively in the South Pacific and was horrified by what garbage has done – a disposable lighter that finds itself into the water, for example, might get eaten by an albatross with a 10-foot wingspan, get stuck in its throat, and starve the bird to death. So, to keep at least a small portion of the trash from getting that far, he’s taking action, one piece of trash at a time. “This is for the birds,” he says – including ones he’s photographed, like Grandpa:
He shows us the photos in a shack at the marina, where he has been restoring an old sailboat, and where he also keeps the “cataraft” he uses to travel to nearby beaches – pull up, pick up some trash, get back into the water and row to the next beach – it’s atop this stack of small boats:
The narrow end of the channel where the marina sits is something of the last bottleneck before trash is closer to making its way into Elliott Bay – he showed us this on a navigation chart:
What he picks up isn’t all trash. He also cuts plastic rope left behind when net fishers remove their nets; he’s invented a battery-powered, gun-shaped device that heats a wire to slice through them:
So far, his project has been a one-person effort. Later this month, he’ll be talking to others at the marina about what he’s been doing, and how they might help. It’s something almost anyone can help with – not just by avoiding throwing trash on beaches, let alone into the water, but also being careful not to lose items in the water – some of what he picks up involves tennis balls tossed for dogs to fetch, for example. Also, it just so happens that the next semiannual Duwamish Alive! cleanup is a week away – 10 am-2 pm October 17th – with hundreds of volunteers set to work along the waterway and in nearby greenbelts (including here in West Seattle). His project, however, isn’t really formal – except for this:
Picking up the trash turns out to be the easy part. Finding a way to have the collected trash hauled away is tougher. I came up with the idea of having the area officially adopted under the Seattle Public Utilities “Adopt a Street” program. Instead of adopting a street, however, I adopted an area from Klickitat Way over to the water. The benefit of using this program is that the city gets volunteers (me) to pick up an area, and the city will take the refuse and clean-green away for free.
If we haven’t mentioned this sooner – Neal didn’t contact us looking for publicity – he e-mailed regarding the aforementioned sewer project, and when he mentioned his cleanup work, we asked if we could meet him to do a story about it. Turns out he COULD use a little publicity – he’s pitched his project as an idea for the Discovery Channel show “Dirty Jobs” – read his pitch on their forum, and give him a vote if you think it would make a good episode.
That’s West Seattle graphic designer Heather Green, who just accomplished something so amazing that Karen White e-mailed to share the news (and that photo): “(Heather) ran her FIRST marathon on Saturday in Leavenworth … She won. She beat 75% of the men runners. She qualified for the Boston Marathon. Her finish time: 3:31:14.” Amazing indeed, so we checked with Heather to find out more. She tells us she’s “pretty excited,” and adds: “I used to run cross country and track in high school (long time ago). Over the years.. I’ve done several 5k’s, 10k’s and one half marathon. For training, a good friend from West Seattle helped me put together a training program.. So for the last 2 1/2 months I’ve been running 5 out of 7 day (at least trying my best to stick to the schedule).” As for the Boston Marathon: “Having a qualifying time sure makes it tempting, but haven’t committed.” What did she get for winning the marathon in Bavarian-village-themed Leavenworth? “A stein with beer coupons to the Munchen Haus.” Here’s the page listing her results.
We’re welcoming a new WSB sponsor this afternoon: Chris Thayer, Seattle personal-injury attorney (and West Seattleite). Here’s what he’d like you to know: He’s a Seattle-area native who grew up in Edmonds, currently a partner at a small law firm in downtown Seattle: Larson, Hart & Shepherd, PLLC. 
He’s put together three websites highlighting some of his particular practice areas and providing extensive information for consumers: www.seattle-personal-injury-attorney.net, www.seattle-wrongful-death-attorney.com, and www.seattle-medical-malpractice-attorney.com. Chris and his wife moved to West Seattle last summer, and he says, “We are growing to love our new neighborhood more and more every day. We have enjoyed going to the West Seattle Farmers’ Market, riding our bikes down to Alki, and taking our dog for walks in Lincoln Park.”
Back to business: What sets him apart from others in his field? He cites a “compassionate approach”: “This is a business for me, but it is also about helping people who have been the victim of unfortunate circumstances. I have been handling serious personal injury, wrongful death, insurance disputes, and medical malpractice claims and lawsuits in Washington since 1995. I understand that these cases are often about much more than money. I am often able to help my clients obtain closure on a difficult chapter in their lives, and, in some cases, I can help bring about changes in policy or procedure which may help prevent similar problems in the future. I am dedicated to efficiently and compassionately representing my clients to assist them in seeking resolution and compensation for their losses. My philosophy is to represent my clients aggressively to obtain a fair and just result.”
What does he hear from clients? “They appreciate my willingness to explain things to them and to answer their questions in a way that makes sense and is easy to understand  without all that legal jargon. They come to me because they have found themselves in a difficult situation that is not their fault. They are often frustrated by their experiences in trying to deal with their claim on their own. I feel like I can offer a very valuable service by helping them understand their rights and to make sure they are treated fairly. I get most of my business from referrals from happy clients. I offer a free initial consultation, where I will sit down with any prospective clients and review their situation so that I can provide feedback and my assessment of whether or not they should retain a lawyer. Chris belongs to the Washington State Bar Association and Washington State Association for Justice, and has an Avvo rating of 10/10 – here’s his profile. You can reach Chris Thayer, Seattle personal-injury attorney, at 866-884-2417. We thank Chris Thayer for sponsoring independent, community-collaborative neighborhood news on WSB; the sponsor team, plus info on joining, is all here.
From the Parks Department:
Come celebrate with John Hermann, Recreation Coordinator at Alki Community Center, as he retires from Seattle Parks and Recreation after 36 years of service. John has served the West Seattle area at Hiawatha and Alki Community Centers from 1978-2009. The retirement party will take place at the Alki Bathhouse, 2701 Alki Ave. SW, from 6 – 8 p.m. on Tuesday, October 13. For more information, please call Mary Pat Byington at 206-684-7430.
(July 2009 West Seattle Grand Parade photo by Christopher Boffoli)
Once you’ve been grand marshal of the West Seattle Grand Parade, what’s left to do on the peninsula? Two and a half months after that high-riding moment – and a year after his stint on the nationally televised reality show “Project Runway“ – the barista known best as Blayne is about to leave his four-year job at Hotwire Coffee (WSB sponsor). We caught up with Blayne late this morning to ask about his plans after his last Hotwire day tomorrow:
You can see his fashion/design work here. If you want to say goodbye in person, Blayne told us he’ll be working tomorrow morning (but that’s as specific as he’d get).
Among other things, he’s the top technologist for the City of Seattle (which has made a lot of consumer-geared strides lately too with features like citylink.seattle.gov), he’s webmaster for the 34th District Democrats (who keep a very-well-updated site at 34dems.org), and he lives here in West Seattle – now Bill Schrier can add something else to his list of accomplishments: He’s been elected president of a nationwide organization of large cities/counties’ chief information officers/technology executives. Just got the announcement this afternoon – read on for the full text:Read More
(WSB photo from February 2009)
Girl Scouts are about more than cookies (although that part is fun too)! Ilana Barnes from Girl Scouts of Western Washington sends word of two information nights in West Seattle tonight and tomorrow, not just for the girls, but for prospective leaders too:
* *Who*: All girls and adults interested in learning more about Girl Scouts!
*Attention all girls everywhere*…Do you want to share and explore new things with your friends? Sing and make s’mores around the campfire? Build a rocket? Go horseback riding? Ever wondered what it would be like to grow up and be a veterinarian, baker, scientist, banker, or artist – you can learn, try, and experience all these things in the Girl Scouts. If you can think it, you can do it! It’s all about what YOU like!
*Attention all parents, guardians and adults who believe the girl in their life is amazing*…You can help her reach her full potential. Help her explore her passions, find courage, and build character so she can make the world a better place. You can help by getting involved in Girl Scouts!
The Girl Scouts of Western Washington is 99% volunteer-led and we need caring adults like yourself to take an active role in giving girls the best possible Girl Scout experience. We are looking for enthusiastic adult volunteers who are interested in bringing Girl Scouts to their Seattle community. Each year Girl Scouts has many more girls interested in joining than we are able to place in troops. Come learn how you can help!
Tuesday, September 29
6:30 pm
High Point Library
3411 SW Raymond St.Wednesday, September 30
6:30 pm
Southwest Library
9010 35th Ave. SW
Radio’s a rough business. Your editor here spent a few years as a DJ long ago and experienced the classic case of getting fired after your show, with no good explanation except “we’re making a change.” According to this story published tonight at seattletimes.com (WSB partner), that’s what happened today to well-known DJ Marty Riemer, a West Seattleite, along with his on-air partner Jodi Brothers, who told The Times, “”The Marty Riemer Show has temporarily relocated to Alki, where Marty and I will be drinking coffee in the morning.” On his Facebook page, which is full of comments from outraged fans, Riemer replied to one of them, “You are so right about Facebook being able to soften the blow of a radio ending. There was a time when from one day to the next a radio personality would disappear and you’d never know what happened to them. Silver lining :-)” He’d been with the station a dozen years, which is a remarkably long tenure in radio.
From left, that’s Callan (5th grade) and Trent (3rd grade) from West Seattle’s Boy Scout Troop 284 (celebrating its 94th anniversary this year!) stationed outside West Seattle Thriftway till 6 tonight, selling popcorn and trail mix. We went over to check out the sale after Suzanne e-mailed WSB to let everyone know it’s time for this fundraiser (which will be happening for the next few weeks all over West Seattle):
It’s that time again. You’ll see a whole bunch of Scouts selling popcorn, caramel corn, chocolate covered popcorn, cheese popcorn, unpopped popcorn (both airpopper/stove top and microwave varieties) and trail mix at various grocery store locations throughout West Seattle. Don’t like popcorn or can’t eat but still want to support your local scouts? You can make a donation to buy popcorn for the troops and have your popcorn sent to those serving our country. Popcorn sales last for the month of October. Thank you West Seattle for your support.
Sorry for the short notice – we just found out the memorial is today: Dean Fraker, longtime operator of Fraker’s Market on SW Alaska near what is now Ercolini Park (noted here in a then-and-now story last year), died recently in Pierce County, less than a month after his 87th birthday, and his memorial is at 2 pm today at Trinity Community Church, 3807 Reith Road in Kent (map). We’re working on a longer story about his life and times and a unique slice of West Seattle history, but wanted to get quick word out now (and thanks to Dale for the original tip).
Full house Thursday night at High Point Library for Gatewood author Lyanda Lynn Haupt as she discussed and read from her buzzed-about new book “Crow Planet.” From two nights earlier — we forgot to share one of the photos we got during the “Faces of High Point” mural shoot at Commons Park Amphitheater:
With more than an hour to go during the shoot, they’d already had 50 people show up, and more were in line. The photos of High Point residents will be incorporated into a mural at the new Neighborhood Center, scheduled to open November 14th.
Followup on the search for “Londey,” the beloved bear whose disappearance broke the hearts of a local family because he was a gift from a relative who died this summer (as explained here): He’s home! Just got this note from Rebekah, along with the photo at left. She wrote, “I just thought I’d pass on the update. LONDEY HAS BEEN FOUND! This morning we received a call from Alki Cafe! Please enjoy this photo of Luka slathering her Londey Bear with kisses after they were reunited. Thank you so much for posting our story. We love West Seattle so much.”
That’s Seattle-based author Robert Spector at CAPERS in The Junction last night, talking about his book “The Mom & Pop Store: How the Unsung Heroes of the American Economy Are Surviving and Thriving.” It’s got extra West Seattle significance because several local businesses are mentioned, including Hotwire Coffee (WSB sponsor), Easy Street Records, Husky Deli and Zamboanga. (Spector’s speaking at Town Hall downtown tonight.)
Meantime, a local author who’s gaining new national attention for her latest work will be at High Point Library tomorrow night: We talked with Gatewood’s Lyanda Lynn Haupt in July about her book “Crow Planet” (story here), which has since been reviewed by the New York Times (read that here). She speaks at HP Library (map) at 6:30 pm tomorrow; her appearance is sponsored by Junction independent bookstore Square One Books (WSB sponsor). (You can also read Haupt’s more-frequent writing at her website The Tangled Nest.)
(photo added early Wednesday)
The best place to report lost/found items is usually the WSB Forums – except for pets, which have their own page – but we wanted to share this one here too. Rebekah, Dan and daughter Luka are looking for “Londey” the bear and hope you have seen it:
My father just passed away on June 12th and before he died he took a trip to London. On his return he purchased a bear for his first granddaughter (who was only about 5 months at the time), my daughter Luka. He’s a tan bear with a hooded red sweatshirt with ‘London’ stitched to the front – we call him Londey. My daughter is very fond of him and carries him around by his hood. As I’m finding out now that he’s missing, he’s pretty sentimental to me too. We were at Whale Tail Park and Pioneer Coffee on Alki and then walked down Alki, around the point by the light house and back around to Whale Tail. Somewhere along the way, we misplaced him. I feel silly crying over a little bear, but I am truly heartbroken, as he was one of the more important things that she has from my late Father. The last place I recall seeing it was at Pioneer, I went back and looked around there, and left my info, but they have not seen it. And I’ve called all the shops down Alki.
I’m hoping that you may be able to make a post to your readers to keep their eyes peeled, or to call if they have found him. My phone number is 206-290-2352.
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