April 2024

Jill and Eddie Vedder gathered good people for a good cause on Alki Beach
The couple work with EBResearch.org seeking treatment for a genetic skin disorder; The Plunge for Elodie was expanded this year

Two of West Seattle's most well known residents, Jill and Eddie Vedder came to Alki Beach on Aprll 21 along with a large group of donors to Plunge for Elodie. The plunge was in support of research for treatments for Epidermolysis Bullosa, a genetic skin disorder.Individuals with EB lack critical proteins that bind the skin's two layers together. Without these proteins, the skin tears apart, blisters, and shears off, leading to severe pain, disfigurement, and internal and external wounds that may never heal.

Plunges such as this now take place all over the world. To date they've raised 2.5 million dollars locally and this year alone they are at $450,000. The first Seattle plunge was last year but Jill said, "This is our first big year where we decided to really rally the troops and bring out our community to suppport us."

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Karam Saidam is safe in Egypt; His family is stuck in Gaza
Former Sealth High exchange student is hoping for a miracle

Former Sealth High school exchange student from Palestine, Karam Saidam has made it safely to Egypt. But the effort was difficult, costly, and emotionally painful. 

He had been forced to leave his home with his entire family and flee to the southern city of Rafah near the Egyptian border. According to published reports 2 out of 3 homes in Gaza have been destroyed in the military action there. Thousands of children have died.

Now the government of Israel has said they still plan an offensive in Rafah where his family remains.

In an exclusive interview with WestsideSeattle Karam expressed his relief but concerns about his family.

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UPDATE: Winds knock out power for more than 4600 in West Seattle now restored; 6900 in Gregory Heights

Update 5:10pm

Power for those who lost it in West Seattle has been restored. The Gregory Heighs outage continues.

Original Post

High winds knocked out power for 4669 customers in West Seattle on Saturday April 20 starting at 3:07pm. Estimated time of restoration was 10pm.

The outage affected people along Alki Beach from Duwamish Head to 62nd SW and extended up the hill all the way over to Avalon Way SW.and south to SW Oregon Street.

An additional power outage began at 3:42pm for 6940 people in the Gregory Heights neighborhood of Burien.

gregory heights power outage

Check https://www.seattle.gov/city-light/outages for updates

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Record Store Day at Easy Street sees "record" turnout

Record Store Day, April 20, blessed by great weather, saw music fans line up around the block before 7am to be among the first to get access to many unusual products inside the landmark Easy Street Records in the West Seattle Junction.

The official Record Store Day website says:

"Record Store Day was conceived in 2007 at a gathering of independent record store owners and employees as a way to celebrate and spread the word about the unique culture surrounding nearly 1400 independently-owned record stores in the US and thousands of similar stores internationally. The first Record Store Day took place on April 19, 2008. Today, Record Store Day is celebrated at independently-owned brick-and-mortar record stores around the world."

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SAKA: A report on the first 100 days

District 1 Seattle City Councilmember Rob Saka shared a report on his first 100 days in office with his constituents via his weekly newsletter on April 19.

Saka Delivering

field work

 

I have the privilege of representing over 105,000 individual residents in D1. I also represent hundreds of small businesses, larger companies, nonprofit organizations, philanthropic organizations, and neighborhood groups.   

My team and I are aware of the scores of concerns/issues raised by constituents in the district, as summarized below.     

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West Seattle Arcade already expanding: Gary's Place will serve beer and is just down the block

The West Seattle Arcade, which opened last July is already expanding into a second space one block up the beach at 2820 Alki Ave SW. It’s the space between Locust and Cactus previously occupied by Outer Space the indoor playground space that closed in December.

They will be opening their sister location, Gary’s Place, (named for owner Matt Cichy’s dad who owned and operated arcades around Seattle in the 80’s, 90’s, and early 2000’s).

Gary’s Place will afford the opportunity offer even more to customers. They will be serving beer and snacks, along with an offering of some more classic arcade machines, more rhythm games and a slightly more grown up atmosphere. As an extension of the West Seattle Arcade, Gary’s Place will be all ages, and accept the same Play Cards that they currently use.

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REMINDER: Spokane St Swing Bridge (low bridge) closing to people driving, walking and biking April 20 – 28
SDOT will replace the control system and reroute control tower wires that connect to the hydraulic system

Information from Seattle Department of Transportation
 

 From Friday, April 20 (starting at 6am) through Sunday, April 28, the Spokane St Swing Bridge (low bridge) will temporarily be closed to people driving, walking and biking. This closure is necessary because the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) crews have to move the control tower wires from the West Seattle Bridge (the high bridge) to a new underground conduit below the West Duwamish Waterway and replace the control system. These wires are connected to the hydraulic system that opens and closes the bridge. The West Seattle Bridge (high bridge) will remain open during the low bridge closure.

Travelers will need to detour to other routes. During the closure of the low bridge, here are options for reaching your destinations:

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Cyclists will ride for Transportation and Housing for a Healthy Future Apr. 20

Cyclists for a climate focus transportation plan ride to Earth Day event at Jimi Hendrix Park in South Seattle. 9 mile ride one way.

What:  Group Bicycle ride to Earth Day event to push for a climate focused Seattle Transportation Plan and Levy.

Why: The transportation plan will reduce the rate of progress for carbon emissions reduction. It is a long 20 year plan that will affect the future of mobility in Seattle for many decades. 

Goal: To reduce the levy budget dedicated to high maintenance transportation infrastructure. Use savings from the largest piece of the budget, (maintenance costs) to invest in a lower maintenance transportation future. 

Where: Meet at the Chelan St. bike crossing, Chelan St. and Spokane St. NW corner. 3501 W Marginal Way.

When: April 20th at 12:45 pm for a 1:00 start 

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City of Burien awarded $1 million to support family shelter

Information from the City of Burien

The City of Burien applied for and was awarded $1 million in grant funding from King County to address family homelessness.

The City will use the funds to support the Mary’s Place family shelter redevelopment project at 12845 Ambaum Blvd SW in Burien, which will expand the shelter’s capacity to more than 200 family members each night. This project, in partnership with Mercy Housing Northwest, will be co-located with 90 units of new, permanently affordable housing in addition to coordinated management, services, amenities, and community resources.

The City has long played an active role in supporting this project.

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