The nearly one year old West Seattle Autoworks cemented their commitment to their home on the corner of 35th Ave. s.w. and s.w. Othello by refurbishing the tower for and installing new panels on a lit sign.
The work was done by Bothell based Clarity Signs who work all around the greater Seattle area.
It's 4 x 8 feet and drivers headed southbound are definitely going to see it.
By Cassandra Baker, Intern
6:35 p.m. on September 3rd. 2nd block of NW 48th St
A man called police on the evening of September 3rd to report that his electric guitar had been stolen from his garage the previous day. The guitar, valued at $2000, is a Hartman Hollow-Body blonde electric guitar. The victim said that his garage was open on the afternoon of September 2nd and he believed that the guitar was stolen then. He did not notice anything suspicious at the time and nothing else had been taken. The responding officer did not find any incriminating evidence at the scene.
The same officer had also responded to another burglary only a block away the previous day. That burglary was also a non-forced entry crime in which guitars were stolen.
2:00 a.m. on September 5th. 53rd block of 24th Ave NW
By Chris Foster, Intern
At the KingCo Cross-Country Preview on Thursday, Ballard senior Alex Bowns won the varsity men’s race with a time of 15:58, 20 seconds ahead of the second place finisher. This was a strong start for Bowns, who has made it to the State Championships the past two years for cross-country.
The race was a 5,000-meter trek through Lincoln Park, and included every school from the KingCo 4A division competing.
The Beavers team as a whole found success, as four other runners finished in the top 25.
Brian Quandt, a junior, finished 12th with a time of 17:03. Sophmore Michael Vitz-Wong finished at 16th just seconds later with a time of 17:12, and senior Victor Bailly came in 24th with a time of 17:38.
In the women’s varsity race, junior Anna Mirenzi clocked a 20:45 to finish 20th. The Beavers showed promise in this preview, and will look to build off of the success.
The next meet is Wednesday, September 14 at Beaver Lake Park, starting at 4, against Woodinville and Eastlake.
For directions and more information, check out the Cross Country page at http://www.ballardathletics.org.
Viking Bank has been a fixture in the Ballard community for decades. On Thursday, September 9, Viking Bank and AmericanWest Bank announced that after three years of financial struggles, AmericanWest Bank will acquire Viking Bank.
While this news may come as a disappointment to locals, Landon Brazier, Chairman of Viking Financial, assured us that the merger will be good for the Ballard Community.
"We are merging into an organization that thinks just like us. They believe in excellent customer service. That has long been Viking's motto," Brazer said.
"This organization will now be a stronger support to the community than we have been in recent years. With more financial resources and a larger capital base, we will be able to make larger loans than Viking Bank was ever able to make."
Additionally, Brazier said AmericanWest Bank is interested in the Maritime industry and the community will continue to enjoy the long‐standing stewardship they’ve come to expect from Viking Bank.
"The name's going to change but the level of service will be the same," Brazier said.
By David Rosen
If you’re looking for something fun to do in West Seattle, check out West Coast Entertainment located at 2705 California Ave SW. West Coast Entertainment currently offers two different Segway Tours. One is offered in Downtown Seattle and the other one here in West Seattle.
The West Seattle tour costs $75 per person and takes roughly an hour and twenty minutes, and begins with bit of orientation with the instructor introducing riders to the Segway.
Some simple practice in the alley follows and no one leaves until they are 100% comfortable on the machine. The tour heads east on Lander then down Fairmount Street and across Harbor Avenue to Seacrest Park. The riders are taken for an off road experience at Marshall Reserve then it's around the corner and a leisurely ride back up the hill to Hamilton Viewpoint where they take a break before heading back to the Admiral District.
These scooters are 100% electric, making it one of the most environmentally friendly tours you can take.
The tour gets rave reviews from young and old alike, and does sell out, with 1800 riders recently taking it over the last few months.
Shovels broke ground on Aug. 10, 2009 in a patch of unused forest south of the SeaTac Airport in Des Moines.
The goal was to build the South Correctional Facility (SCORE), a collective jail paid for by the cities of Burien, Des Moines, Federal Way, SeaTac, Tukwila, Renton and Auburn after King County told them they would need to find or build a new jail by 2012.
Please click the photo above for a slideshow.
“As we were standing there thinking of this moment I can tell you that we had many naysayers,” SCORE Director Penny Bartley said at the official opening of SCORE on Sept. 8. “People told us that we could never do this. We could never build it on the time schedule that we had, we could never build it for the budget we had.”
Two years later, the facility was officially opened on schedule and $5 million under budget, according to Bartley.
With the exception of a teenage into early adulthood hiatus where Scott Law put his model trains into boxes for “cars and girls and college and stuff,” the man has been devoted to the craft throughout life.
Please click the photo above for a slideshow.
Thirteen years ago he opened the Electric Train Shop on California Ave. in West Seattle, well before the area became a hip section of the city with upscale dining and skyrocketing rental rates.
Law was sharing a space with West Seattle’s liquor store and, about a year ago, it became clear he needed to find a new home. The liquor store made plans to move to a new location and Law’s landlord decided to split the space right down the middle. Law could have stayed, but there was no way he could afford the $6,000 a month rent.
He started looking with three critical elements in mind: ample parking, good foot traffic and reasonable rent.
Downtown Burien won.
Law reopened on July 30th at 625 S.W. 152nd St. and he says it was a good call.
“In the mornings I take a stroll around the neighborhood and I’m discovering Burien,” he said. “I’m enjoying this area; I like it a lot.”
Join the folks & dogs at Animal at Animal Aid and Rescue Foundation's (AARF) 3rd Annual Whine and Cheese Live Auction at Vino Bello Wine Shop, 636 SW 152nd St Suite F, in Burien on Friday, September 23, 6:00pm - 9:00pm. Your $25 donation will get you two drinks and a raffle ticket. They will offer have a large variety of items for auction and raffle.
AARF is based in Burien, while its fundraising booth, often "manned" by Heather Johnson Enajibi and Erin Halter, is set up at numerous West Seattle street festivals and other outdoor events. Many of its rescued dogs are fostered and adopted out to both Burien and West Seattle families.
Reminder, This is tonight:
Join the folks & dogs at Animal at Animal Aid and Rescue Foundation's (AARF) 3rd Annual Whine and Cheese Live Auction at Vino Bello Wine Shop, 636 SW 152nd St Suite F, in Burien on Friday, September 23, 6:00pm - 9:00pm. Your $25 donation will get you two drinks and a raffle ticket. They will offer have a large variety of items for auction and raffle.
AARF is based in Burien, while its fundraising booth, often "manned" by Heather Johnson Enajibi and Erin Halter, is set up at numerous West Seattle street festivals and other outdoor events. Many of its rescued dogs are fostered and adopted out to both Burien and West Seattle families.
The organization Women of Vision, in partnership with World Vision and Seattle Public Schools distributed 400 backpacks with school supplies to Concord International School students in South Park Thursday, Sept. 8.
Women of Vision (WOV) is a national organization with local chapters serving those struggling for relief from poverty and oppression, in their communities, and around the world. Local WOV volunteers will distribute backpacks to children. World Vision has served 331,853 individuals in the Pacific Northwest, more than half of them children.
"It's an annual tradition," said school principal Norma Zavala, an Arbor Heights resident of the backpack donations. "We have a lot of students who need backpacks and are unable to afford to buy them and this equalizes everything where everyone has a backpack and everyone is special. Many live together with a couple of families in one dwelling. Their backpack is like their portable desk. That's where their homework is, and important papers."
She said she likes changes she has recently seen in the South Park Community.
