September 2013

by Aya Hashiguchi Clark

ArtsWest Playhouse and Gallery will open their 2013-2014 Season with something that’s new and delightfully different. On October 2nd, ArtsWest will present the world premiere of Lauren Gunderson’s play, THE TAMING.

Yes, this play is “hot off the presses,” but there are other elements of this production that make it one-of-a-kind. THE TAMING is a political farce, poking fun at (in the words of the playwright) “our cranky government, and our Founding Fathers, and our Americanness, and ourselves.” But this is a unique satire. The story, with all its partisan politics and American history, is played by three women.

One woman is a liberal blogger with a following of over 2 million readers. The other is a senatorial aide to one of the most powerful conservative members of Congress. And the third? She’s the reigning Miss Georgia who is preparing to compete in the Miss America pageant.

Information from King County

On Friday, Oct. 4, a big derrick barge will mobilize at the construction site with the "Boeing side" drawspan leaf on the barge.

The schedule at this point is:

At 12 pm, the barge will be located and anchored into place in the waterway on the downriver side of the north bascule span.

Between 1 and 5 pm, the waterway will be closed and the leaf will be lifted into place.

Then the leaf will be suspended in place and 1068 bolts will be carefully installed and torqued to connect the two girders to the girders in the north pier.

Installation will continue until the work is completed, sometime around noon on Sunday.
For optimal viewing, we recommend setting up your chair at the end of Rose Street!

UPDATE 1:00pm Sept. 29
...POWERFUL AND DAMAGING WINDSTORM TO AFFECT PARTS OF WESTERN
WASHINGTON TONIGHT...

.EXPLOSIVE DEVELOPMENT IS TAKING PLACE WITH A LOW PRESSURE CENTER
THAT WILL MAKE LANDFALL THIS EVENING SOMEWHERE BETWEEN THE FAR
NORTH WASHINGTON COAST AND CENTRAL VANCOUVER ISLAND THIS EVENING.
THIS HAS THE POTENTIAL TO BE ONE OF THE STRONGEST SEPTEMBER
WINDSTORMS ON RECORD. NORTHWEST WASHINGTON...FROM THE NORTH COAST
THROUGH THE STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA AND THE NORTH INTERIOR...WILL
BE AT THE GREATEST RISK FROM THE STRONGEST WINDS.

...HIGH WIND WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 5 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 4 AM
PDT MONDAY...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SEATTLE HAS ISSUED A HIGH WIND WARNING...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 5 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 4 AM PDT
MONDAY.

* SOME AFFECTED LOCATIONS...SEATTLE...FEDERAL WAY...SHORELINE... BREMERTON...SILVERDALE...POULSBO...KINGSTON...SEABECK...AND THE HOOD CANAL BRIDGE AREA.

* TIMING...THE STRONGEST WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO OCCUR THIS EVENING.

* WIND...INCREASING FROM THE SOUTH AT 20 TO 35 MPH WITH GUSTS OF 50 TO 60 MPH.

* IMPACTS...HIGH WINDS CAN TOPPLE TREES...DOWN POWER LINES...AND

Information from SWSHS

Local authors will participate in a new “book talk” series about their published books at a free monthly series, “Words, Writers and West Seattle,” beginning Friday, Oct. 4, 2013.

The new project of the Southwest Seattle Historical Society will be presented in conjunction with Barnes & Noble Westwood Village.

“This is a great way for West Seattleites to get to know authors from their neighborhood,” says Clay Eals, executive director of the Southwest Seattle Historical Society. “The series offers a variety of genres, reflecting many ways to tell stories, and it’s a perfect fit for us because eliciting, preserving and passing along stories is fundamental to our mission.”

On the first Friday afternoon of the month from October 2013 through June 2013, Barnes & Noble Westwood Village will host a a presentation by a West Seattle-based author on a recently released book or books, plus a time for questions and answers. Each session will end at 6 p.m.

A man, possibly drunk, lost control of his pickup truck after 3am at 17th South and near Des Moines Memorial Drive and took out a power pole, knocking out power. The loss of power affected more than 3000 customers initially and then was restored, yet 485 remain without power in the area.

To the south the power outage extends to 120th Street and crossing Glendale Way South to the north goes to South Roxbury Street and across Des Moines Memorial Drive.

City LIght expects to have power restored by 6pm.

A 12 year old playing in a Greater Union South King County football game between Beacon Hill and the SWAC team at the SouthWest Athletic Complex on Saturday Sept. 28 was injured and sent to the hospital.

His mother spoke to the Herald and said, "He kind of just wobbled off the field and someone was trying to stretch his leg out and they couldn't. The people in the ambulance think that he dislocated his hip. But I had to be the one to call the ambulance."

According to his mother the boy is expected to be ok but she was unhappy that the coaches did not make the call for assistance.

The Genesee-Schmitz Neighborhood Council shares an announcement of the first meeting meant to weigh in on the disposition of green spaces in West Seattle.

The West Seattle Green Space Coalition will hold their first meeting Saturday, September 28, "gathering neighborhood councils, environmental groups, and citizens with a mission of (1) stopping the sale of the green spaces for development and (2) working to secure funding for future green space/park/public uses of the properties."

The meeting will be held at High Point Library, 3411 SW Raymond St. from 4:30 to 5:45. It is meant to be a preparation for the upcoming Public Hearing at the High Point Community Center, 6:30-8:30, October 2.

October 18, is the deadline to submit public comments to Seattle City Light. Emails may be sent to Seattle City Light at SCL_surplusproperty@seattle.gov. Written comments may be sent to:

Seattle City Light
Surplus Property Disposition Project
Real Estate Services
PO Box 34023
Seattle WA 98124-4023

By Paul Moseley

Walking by the Chief Sealth team practice this week, you'd think they were preparing for an epic battle. They were.

Most of the non-football playing crowd at SWAC on tuesday, out watching their kids soccer games and running around the track, were bundled up against the early fall chill. The Chief Sealth Seahawks had their shirts off and were taking in a healthy dose of Coach Carr's in-your-face exhortations in between 100 yard sprints - 50 yards across the field, touch the ground, 50 yards back. After last week's defeat of Rainier Beach, Chief Sealth wanted a streak.

By Jeremy Martin

On Friday night, a feisty West Seattle football squad, coming off its first win of the season, took to the gridiron at Memorial Stadium with the aim of spoiling an otherwise joyful homecoming for Cleveland High School.

Despite last week’s confidence boosting victory over Franklin, the Wildcats were unable to carry its momentum forward, falling to the Eagles 26-0.

It was a tough night for West Seattle’s offensive eleven as its trio of quarterbacks managed only 44 yards air, although that did include a beautiful 22 yard first quarter strike from sophomore Carter Golgart to junior Tre Stewart.

The West Seattle ground attack was led by senior tailback Raphael Jackson who earned 42 yards on 14 carries.

Though the loss drops West Seattle to just 1-3 on the year, the Wildcat defense came to Seattle Center ready to rumble, shutting the Eagles down on an early 4th and goal while also forcing Cleveland into several miscues and three and outs.

The West Seattle Food Bank was formed in the early 1980s and originally called the Junction Community Food Bank. Through a long series of “lucky breaks” and a long list of passionate volunteers, staff and philanthropists they have grown exponentially over the decade in providing meals to our neighbors in need.

On Oct. 10, the West Seattle Food Bank (WSFB) will celebrate their 30th Anniversary with an open house celebration and the unveiling of Reverend Ron Marshall’s book, “Hunger Immortal: The First Thirty Years of the West Seattle Food Bank, 1983 – 2013.”

Below you’ll find the celebration announcement from Judi Yazzolino, followed by details from our conversation with Executive Director Fran Yeatts and Board Member Marshall about the food bank’s history and Marshall’s new book.