December 2016

The newest art gallery in West Seattle, just opened in time for the holidays is Raven’s Nest West at 4557 Glenn Way SW, one block west of the Junction. This is no ordinary gallery.

Raven’s Nest West features northwest native museum quality original cedar carvings, engraved jewelry, limited edition prints, cedar bark weavings, ivory sculpture, painted deerskin drums, apparel and more with an exclusive representation of the art of Tlingit Master Artist / Carver Israel Shotridge. They also represent Native artists from throughout the Northwest Coast, Washington state Tribal communities, Canadian First Nations, and Alaskan Native Artists from all over Alaska including Tlingit, Haida, Tsimshian, Aleut, Yupik, Inupiat, and Eskimo.

The project set to be built in the former Alki Tavern location at 1307 Harbor Ave SW is moving ahead with the filing of the Land Use Application for the 6-story structure that will include an office, a café, a design lab, a restaurant, an underground parking lot, retail stores and 15 apartment units. Parking for 27 vehicles would be inside the building. The community amenities in the structure reflect the architects’ priority to design a building that will engage local residents.

From the City of Seattle Analysis and Decision:

The packet includes materials presented at the meeting, and is available online by entering the project number (3015628) at this website:

http://www.seattle.gov/dpd/Planning/Design_Review_Program/Project_Reviews/Reports/default.asp

The packet is also available to view in the file, by contacting the Public Resource Center at SDCI:
EARLY DESIGN GUIDANCE April 3, 2014

Mailing Address:
Public Resource Center
700 Fifth Ave., Suite 2000 P.O. Box 34019

Sponsored by Sarah Cecil

Most of us need to do some type of estate planning, but it’s especially important if you are part of a “blended” family. And the best time to start is now – before these plans need to be implemented.

Estate planning can be complex, so you will need help from a qualified legal professional. But here are a few general suggestions that can be suitable for blended families:
Update beneficiary designations – and think about multiple beneficiaries. Update the beneficiary designations on your retirement accounts and insurance policies to reflect the reality of your blended family. These designations can supersede the instructions you provided in your will. So if your will states that your current spouse should inherit your assets, but you had named your former spouse, or a child, as the primary beneficiary of an IRA, then your former spouse or your child – not your present-day spouse – will indeed receive the IRA.

Update 1/5/16
The Seattle Landmarks Preservation Board voted unanimously to nominate the Crescent-Hamm Building at 4302 SW Alaska Street/4559 California Avenue SW for landmark status. The board's designation hearing for the building will be on Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2016.

Original Post 12/8/16

History of Crescent-Hamm Building (from the nomination)

In 1908, W. T. Campbell purchased the two lots on which he would later build the Crescent Building from Cecil and Helen Upper and F. N. and Alice Handschy. With this purchase, Campbell owned four lots of prime real estate at this important intersection where the two streetcar lines merged. Campbell paid $5,000, a price that suggests the lots had improvements. Indeed, Baist’s 1912 Real Estate Atlas depicts the property as it existed for more than a decade, with a one-story wood building occupying the east half of both lots and a small outbuilding at the rear of the parcel . The Sanborn Fire Insurance Company’s 1917 map of the Junction shows the same structure, noting it functioned as a retail shop and drugstore.

At a starting price of $50,000, less than a luxury car, you could potentially be the owner of a former Washington State Ferry. One of them might be very familiar to you. The M.V. Evergreen State which served on the route between Vashon, Southworth and Fauntleroy for many years

State of Washington Surplus Operations, in cooperation with the Washington State Department of Transportation Ferries Division, currently has two car/passenger ferries up for online auction on GovDeals.com.

The Evergreen State is 296 feet long. It was built in 1954 by the Puget Sound Bridge and Drydock Company in Seattle, WA. In 1988, Washington State Ferries (WSF) rebuilt the vessel with new machinery and refurbished superstructure.

The M.V. Evergreen State most recently operated on the Point Defiance / Tahlequah ferry route between north Tacoma and south Vashon Island, Washington. WSF retired the Evergreen State on June 29, 2014. The Evergreen State is currently at WSF’s Eagle Harbor Maintenance Facility on Bainbridge Island, Washington, a thirty-minute ferry ride from downtown Seattle.

information from King County

On Monday, Dec 12th the King County Council will recognize and honor the White Center PAL Boxing Club for its 2nd place performance at the National Jr. Golden Gloves Tournament in Nevada this summer. The tournament team was comprised of young boxers from White Center, Tacoma, Spokane, Tri Cities and Vancouver, WA.

The recognition event on Monday is expected to be very moving as one of the members of the club was recently seriously injured by a hit and run taxi cab. The Sheriff’s Office has made an arrest in the case and the driver has been charged with felony Hit and Run. Congressman Dave Reichert, Sheriff John Urquhart, and Executive Dow Constantine are all expected to attend the event. The Special Recognition Ceremony is Dec 12th, 1:30pm, in the Council Chambers of the KC Courthouse.

For more info on White Center PAL Boxing, go to their Facebook site: https://www.facebook.com/White-Center-PAL-Boxing-438039166397725/

By Gwen Davis

The City of Seattle wants teachers, receptionists, therapists — and anyone making in that salary range, and under — the ability to live in Seattle.

It’s nothing new that Seattle is a great place to live, with many large employers, and one of the strongest local economies in the country. Over the next 10 years, city officials expect tens of thousands of new families to relocate to the region. With mild weather, beautiful natural resources and a socially progressive population, officials are buckling down to ensure that everyone can live well, with ample access to housing, transportation and livability resources.

Ever wondered what happened to Christmas amidst the craziness of Black Friday frenzies and commercialized cyber campaigns? To find the answer, you need not look beyond Ballard and its Norwegian roots, where Leif Erikson Lodge, the Seattle-Sister City Association and the Karmøy Club will host their annual Children’s Christmas Party, “Juletrefest” or “Christmas Tree Party,” on Sunday, December 11, 3:00 – 5:00 pm.

“Juletretest is an old-fashioned party for all ages, not just children, truly a family affair,” explains SBSCA president Lori Ann Reinhall, who together with VP Bernice Chouery, longtime Ballard resident and lodge member, has coordinated the program. Reinhall is known in the community for her annual 17th of May show at Bergen Place, and for the December 11, she put on her producer’s cap to pull together an entertainment line-up that will prove to delight young and old alike. Headlining the show is virtuoso accordionist Bonnie Birch, who will be play yuletide favorites from the American songbook, as well as the best-loved Norwegian Christmas songs. Birch will accompany Reinhall as she leads the sing-along as everyone is invited to dance around the Christmas tree.

Today, Mayor Ed Murray announced his nominations of Anita Crawford-Willis and Adam Eisenberg to fill two current vacancies on the Seattle Municipal Court. Mayor Murray’s selections follow the recommendations of four finalists vetted by the Seattle Municipal Court Selection Committee that included representatives from several local Minority Bar Organizations. The nominations, for terms expiring January 14, 2019, are subject to confirmation by City Council.

“Seattleites deserve thoughtful, passionate, and qualified judges on the Seattle Municipal Court,” said Mayor Murray, “Anita Crawford-Willis and Adam Eisenberg reflect these values and are committed to justice for all Seattle residents. They both bring judicial experience and have demonstrated throughout their careers a dedication to social and racial justice, diversity, and inclusion. I look forward to working with Council on moving these nominations forward. I would also like to thank David Perez, John Fetters, Chalia Stallings-Ala'ilima, and Abigail Caldwell for their diligent service on the selection committee.”

Joy, With a Bit of Tongue In Cheek Political Commentary for This Burien Actors Theatre Show

by Adriane Vetter

It's hard to say what I loved about this year's Christmas show at Burien Actor's Theatre. Directed by Mark 'Mok' Moser,
'The Ultimate Christmas Show (abridged), at times reminded me of some of the funniest skits from early Monty Python's Flying Circus, and actors, Beth Davis, Pepper Handrich, and Anna Richardson definitely are as funny and quirky with their
humor as John Cleese, Graham Chapman and Eric Idle. In fact, the antics of these three, as they try to put on a show that is supposed to have many more acts (the premise of the play is that after all of the acts for their show are held up by a
killer Winter storm, these three, rather than cancel, decide to put on the show by their lonesomes), are the reason to go.

There's an attempt at Christmas rap, that fails, but tickles as well, as well as some hillarious renditions of familiar Christmas songs, that involve, at one point, impromtu interaction with the audience (if you sit in the front row, be prepared to be pulled