May 2009

The Southwest Seattle Historical Society will host author Joan Hockaday, author of "Greenscapes, Olmsted's Pacific Northwest," at the Log House Museum Tuesday, June 2 at 7 p.m.

Hockaday will talk about the influence of John Charles Olmsted on West Seattle, particularly his friendship with Ferdinand Schmitz whose land became Schmitz Park and Me-Kwa-Mooks Park. 

The Log House Museum is located at 3003 61st Ave. S.W.

Contact the museum for more information:  206-938-5293 or loghousemuseum@comcast.net. 

The event is free, but donations are welcomed. Books will be available for purchase.

Andy and Bri Cooper acquired Jackson, their Burnese mountain dog four years ago from a breeder in Bellingham.

"He's a little bit shy," said Bri.

Jackson may be shy, but he can do a high five and rollover on command and he's quite talkative, said Bri.

"He barks when you feed him," said Andy.

At 110 pounds he's a good size dog with a beautiful brown, black and white coat. His best trait, however, might be his patience.

Andy and Bri demonstrated this by putting a delicious dog biscuit directly on top of Jackson's nose. He held stock still, concentrating on that biscuit and little else (though he does sometimes chase, but never catches, squirrels) until he got the command.

Then with a flick of his head he flipped the treat from his snout and gobbled it up.

You can learn more about this breed by visiting this site.

How to nominate your pet for Pet of the Week:

"As we move forward, we are all concerned first and foremost with what's best for our students."  

Those are the words of Seattle Schools Superintendent Maria Goodloe-Johnson.  What is not clear is whether that concern for "our students" is still first and foremost as the Seattle School District moves backward.

As of the moment, there are 172 career teachers and an unstated number of provisional teachers who are not moving forward.  Four of them are at Madison Middle School;  two of them, after maturing in other fields, had chosen to become professional teachers.

The "Reduction-in-Force" (RIF) itself was simply a function of seniority, or lack thereof.  What is little known is that some entire schools were left off the table.  Schools with high teacher turnover, known as "flight schools," and schools belonging to the Southeast Initiative, were left out of the RIF, according to provisions in the union contract with the school district.

Dear Editor,

I was shocked to see the proposal by the Department of Transportation in the May 13 edition of the West Seattle Herald regarding the new configuration of Fauntleroy Way Southwest after it is resurfaced.

Reducing traffic to one lane in either direction has is absurd. This is a major arterial for commuters. Why would the city do this?

The absolute congestion this will create is obvious. You are only as good as the weakest link. Example: all you need is one driver traveling at five to ten miles below the speed limit and you immediately impede EVERYONE following that car. Let’s face it, that scenario happens frequently. With two lanes, the answer is obvious, you pass the slow moving car.

I would hope the citizens of West Seattle would raise a huge fuss over this proposal, as we did when the city, in its infinite wisdom, removed the “all ways walk” at California and Alaska many years ago. It didn’t take too long to restore that bit of stupidity.

We need to do the same for the Fauntleroy corridor, too.

Duane W. Smart
Arbor Heights

The City of Seattle has wonderful resources for those of us who like information. When the Department of Transportation concrete crew appeared to be digging too close to the side sewer earlier in the week I sped to the city Web site to look at photographs of side sewer permits from 1923.

Likewise, I love being able to pinpoint the reason for fire sirens and watch city council meetings live - and at my convenience- on the Seattle Channel. I receive Land Use bulletins and newsletters from the council members. But sometimes the computer can’t take me deep enough.

This week I ventured downtown to the Seattle Municipal Building on my quest for hard copy information.

Along with many, I’ve watched with interest the transformation at 6017 Seaview Ave. N.W., the address that was home to businesses such as Golden Tides, and lastly, an Azteca Mexican Restaurant.

After two years of work there is sculptural ironwork and tasteful landscaping, a new bench at the public access viewpoint. As of last week there is also another yellow and white sign posted to advertise a notice of proposed land use action and provide a date and contact for public comment.

On Sunday, May 23 at about 1:40 p.m., a motorcyclist reportedly driving at a high rate of speed eastbound on North 143rd Street collided with the rear of vehicle proceeding northbound on Evanston Avenue North.

Seattle Police and Seattle fire medics responded to the scene. The motorcyclist was tranported to Harborview Medical Center with life-threatening injuries.

The Traffic Collision Investigation Squad responded and has begun their investigation.

On Sunday, May 23, at about 4:07 a.m., North Precinct officers responded to a burlglary call in the 4400 Block of Corliss Avenue North. The caller reported flashlights at her windows and hearing breaking noises.

Officers arrived and found a male suspect hiding in the bushes a few steps away. The suspect had gloves on, a large screwdriver, and the outside light had been unscrewed and hidden in the bushes nearby.

The victim’s screen had been cut back and the window pried and cracked by a screwdriver. The male was arrested and booked into the King County Jail for investigation of burglary.

The North Precinct burglary detectives will conduct the follow up investigation.

On Friday, May 22 at 10:15 a.m. Seattle Police North Precinct patrol officers responded to an out of state ‘check the welfare – suicidal person’ report. The complainant was an immediate family member of the 29-year-old male that had been apparently threatening suicide.

The complainant stated that the male had threatened to “blow his brains out." Officers were dispatched to the address in question, located in the 12500 block of Greenwood Avenue North.

Upon arrival at 10:19 a.m. officers made contact with the subject in question. The male was uncooperative and refused to let officers inside.

The man told officers that his 20-month-old son was on the other side of the front door and should the officers force the door open, harm would come to the child. The man had his child knock on the door to convince the officers that this was indeed the case. The scene supervisor initiated requests to mobilize SWAT and hostage negotiators.

On Sunday, May 24, at about 3:48 p.m., Southwest Precinct officers responded to a disturbance in the 8600 Block of 8th Avenue South. The call stated there was a bleeding hispanic male “tied up” and thrown through a window, then dragged behind the house by three other males.

When officers arrived, there was a shattered front window, bloody glass and clothing inside the house, and numerous intoxicated and belligerent persons.

Twelve individuals were detained.
The house and adjacent buildings were searched for any injured people.
 Despite searching adjacent yards, vehicles, etc., officers did not locate the bleeding man.

Officers subsequently searched the neighborhood, but did not locate him. Two males were arrested at the location, one for obstructing and resisting arrest, the other for unlawful use of weapons.

This Saturday, May 30, the Delridge Neighborhood Development Association (DNDA), in conjunction with the King County Food and Fitness Association, will host Delridge Day: FRESH, an annual all-day celebration with this year’s focus on community, local and fresh food, an active lifestyle and the arts. 

The event will be all day from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Youngstown Cultural Arts Center.

For the first time, Delridge Day will feature a micro-farmers’ market produced by Tiny’s Organic Farm. The day will feature performances by local musicians such as Amos Miller & Friends, Seattle Fandango Project’s Quetzal, and Canary Sing.

Youth programs ALL-ACCESS and the Food Education Empowerment and Sustainability Team (FEEST) will each showcase their work, and neighborhood collective TEAM Delridge will present their ongoing community assessments in the areas of food resources and built environment.