September 2013

The Seattle Police Department's Mounted Patrol will be doing demonstrations of some of their riding abilities at near stable in West Seattle, at Westcrest Park Sept. 22 at 2pm and 4pm.

The demonstrations will show off some crowd control maneuvers and officers will show how they train their horses to do this type of work.

A picnic lunch will be available, courtesy of the Seattle Police Foundation.

SPD asks that you observe the following due to the location of the stable: 1) please no dogs (except service animals); 2) do not park in the Westcrest dog park parking lot (parking will be provided behind the barn, please car pool if possible); 3) Contact us on Facebook if you are bringing a group.

More details at http://tinyurl.com/l9rpj7s (Friends of the Seattle Mounted Patrol Facebook page).

According to the Orca Network whose members provide multiple sighting reports
"A mobile picnic of orcas traipsed down Puget Sound Saturday, spread out for miles but mainly mid-channel, in small groups, so difficult to census, probably foraging among the many pink salmon for the chum they are believed to prefer this time of year. NOAA researchers took fecal and scale samples and biopsies and will have some some data on what they were eating. From some reports there was a lot of breaching and spyhopping, and if, as some reports indicate, all three pods were represented, socializing was at least a part of what they were doing."

Here are the individual reports from their members:

September 21
I was on the 4:00pm ferry from Fauntleroy to Vashon and saw 3-4 Orca just to the North of the boat including a male milling mid-channel, generally heading south. I saw some rolls and gentle tail slaps. IT WAS AWESOME!
btw...Blackfish is showing tonight at the Vashon Theatre.
J Felicity Welt

September 21

The Fauntleroy Community Association is sponsoring a West Seattle Community Safety and Crime Prevention meeting Sept 26, 2013 at the Hall at Fauntleroy in the Fauntleroy School House, 9131 California Ave SW.

The doors open at 6:30 PM for an ice cream social (free) followed by a 45 minute presentation by the SW Precinct police leadership including Capt. Joe Kessler and Lt. Pierre Davis.

Their presentation will be followed by a Question and Answer session from the audience.

This free community event is in response to a neighborhood survey conducted by the Fauntleroy Community Association where the number one issue of survey respondents was crime.

This is an opportunity for West Seattle residents to ask our local police questions about crime prevention and safety in our neighborhoods.

For questions, please contact Mike Dey at 206-661-0673 or at msdey50@aol.com

If your ideas about the Czech Republic are limited to beer and a poster of Prague, the Czech Tourism bureau is working hard to change that. They are on a roadshow tour of various points in the U.S. and made a stop in West Seattle at The Swinery artisan butcher shop on Sept. 21. They are located at 3207 California Ave SW.

Their goal on the trip is not only to educate people about the places to go and things to do in their nation but to gain exposure for their food, beer, wine and culture.

To that end a group of people including, Honorary Consul Wayne Jehlik, Vojtech Kacerovsky, Barbora Skokanova, Radim Petratur, and chef Jakub Cerny, came to the Swinery and offered a taste of Czech plum wine called Slivovitz, a powerful but tasty shot of alcohol as an introduction. A selection of breads was made available with a kind of pork cracklings called Skvarsky. Along with this the well known Pilsner Urquell beer and another beer called Staropramen were offered. The second was milder but still very flavorful. A tradtional goulash (similar to Hungarian types) and boiled pork was offered too.

FIRST DAY OF AUTUMN TO BE BLUSTERY ACROSS WESTERN WASHINGTON...

In what might feel like a repeat from last Sunday, another storm will arrive on Sunday according to the latest predictions by the National Weather Service. Coincidentally it is predicted to be going strong right around the same time the Seahawks game gets underway at Century Link Field at 1:30pm. Appropriately, Summer comes to an end and fall officially starts at 1:44 pm.

Since it is likely we will see power outages, due to high winds (gusts up to 35mph) if you can, get outdoor furniture stowed and other items that might get blown around, securely put away. This isn't a major storm but does call for some caution.

Here's the Special Weather Statement:

A STRONG BUT FAST MOVING PACIFIC STORM WILL BRING GUSTY WINDS AND BRIEF LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL TO WESTERN WASHINGTON SUNDAY...THE FIRST DAY OF AUTUMN.

The Admiral Neighborhood Association has shared a letter from Stephanie Aird who is organizing a community meeting to address concerns about alcohol and drug use by minors near the Hiawatha Playfield and West Seattle High School. The meeting is Oct. 10 in the WS High School library at 7pm.

Here is Aird's letter:

To whom it may concern,

There are a group of parents along with myself, and many other community members who are becoming very aware of drug / alcohol issues that are out of control at Hiawatha and West Seattle High School. Unfortunately our family has been directly affected and we are very determined to make it STOP! There is a group of us who in collaboration with Mike Graham-Squire (cc'd here) from the Neighborhood House have arranged to have a community meeting to discuss these issues. I have attached an email (see at the bottom) from Mike to give an outline of what we are trying to tackle. Here is a list of who we are asking to attend:

WSHS PTSA (confirmed)
Madison PTSA
WSHS Principal
Madison MS Principal
Madison MS Counselor or Health Nurse
WSHS Counselor
Hiawatha Community Center
ACRS Drug/Alcohol Counsleors at WSHS

By Rev. Judith Laxer

September arrived suddenly. Serious harvesting and preserving continues. The season demands our attention or all will be for nothing. Like how the worms got to two of my three apple trees before I did. If, like me, you can’t possibly eat all those tomatoes, you might find yourself on a Monday morning cooking up what cooks down to just one quart jar of marinara, canned and ready for a pasta dinner some cold, dark, winter night. And wasn’t it fun to make it with only ingredients you have grown- onion, garlic, oregano, basil, thyme, and marjoram? All those pears made delicious, complex chutney. A big bowl of tomatillos sits on the table waiting to become sauce. Carrots, beets and parsnips remain underground for the chillier soil to sweeten them. Striped Delicata squash now share the fruit bowl on the counter. And the ever-hardy cabbages and kale promise late autumn delight. As the days grow visibly shorter, my big, bold horseradish is a treat for the eyes. And the sinuses!

By Paul Moseley

The young Chief Sealth Seahawks team found their groove. The 0-2 Chief Sealth Seahawks took on 1-0 Ranier Beach Vikings Friday night at Southwest Athletic Complex (SWAC). The Seahawks were looking for their first win after two hard fought and close games against Evergreen and Cleveland. Chief Sealth has proven they have the offensive power with a combined 46 points in the first two games behind QB Weston Reed and Running Back Daron Camacho. They have struggled defensively, alternating between tough hitting defense and allowing long runs to break their rhythm.

Rainier Beach entered it's second game coming off a big win over Ingraham last week and took the field with confidence behind starting freshman QB Simon Robinson.

The Vikings got on the board first, taking advantage of good field position that started them on the their own 45. At 4th and 5, they went for it on the Seahawks 36 yard line, and followed up with a beautiful run by the athletic Robinson, putting them on the board 6-0.

At 10:48 p.m., the Seattle Fire Department responded to a possible fire of a 40 ft. fishing trawler at Fishermen's Terminal (1900 W Nickerson St). A column of smoke could be seen by the Ballard Bridge.

According to scanner chatter, a drop light caught fire causing minimal damage and creating residual smoke. According to Ballard News-Tribune reader Silver, who tipped us off, an occupant of the boat moored next door controlled the fire with a garden hose.

All in a day's work.

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At 7:17 p.m., a power outage occurred in Ballard north of 85th, by Golden Gardens. About 117 customers are affected by it, according to Seattle City Light (see map here). SPU expects to restore power by 11:30 p.m.

This is the only area in all of Seattle to suffer a power outage tonight. The cause is still being investigated.

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