West Seattle

It seems that the summer that never really happened is over, the kids are back in school and it's time to start thinking about getting ready for the fall and winter seasons ahead.

October is National Fall Car Care month, so it's a good time to get that vehicle inspected to make sure you're ready for the shorter days, rain, frosty mornings, cool evenings and more rain.

Some of the things that may need extra attention this time of year are wiper blades to keep your vision clear, good tire tread depth to avoid hydroplaning in giant puddles, a properly working HVAC system to insure good windshield defrosting and comfortable heat in the cabin and finally making sure all exterior lighting is in good working order so other drivers can see you.

Stop by a shop near you and make sure your vehicle is up-to-date on it's regular services and get it ready for our stormy Northwest, watch out for trick-or-treaters, and I'll see you on the road!

Drive safe.

Todd Ainsworth is one of the owners of at West Seattle Autoworks and can be reached at todd400@comcast.net or 206.257.5344.

As chill autumn evenings chase away the last remnants of summer do you get a hankering for a good story? West Seattle Toastmasters Club 832 invites our neighbors to enjoy a special night of storytelling.

Tales From The Hearth: Guest Night at West Seattle Toastmasters Club 832

C & P Coffee Company, 5612 California Avenue SW
Tuesday, October 19, 6:15-8:30 pm (admission is free)
For more information call (425) 243-4294, email: WSToastmasters832@gmail.com or visit www.westseattletm832.org.

The high-profile White House Community College Summit held Oct. 5 was led by Dr. Jill Biden, the wife of the Vice President and a community college professor for 17 years. She spoke of the community college’s role, including opening doors to new career opportunities for the unemployed. She introduced President Obama, who said of Ms. Biden, “She knows personally these colleges are the unsung heroes of America’s educational system. They may not get the credit they deserve or the same resources as other schools but they provide a gateway to millions of Americans to good jobs and a better life.”

President Obama proposed the American Graduation Initiative to pump $12 billion into community colleges and add 5 million new graduates by 2020.

Currently, however, South Seattle Community College, like all community colleges in Washington State, is getting squeezed in yet another annual budget cut.

SSCC had to cut their budget by 7-percent in the 2008-2009 academic year, then another 7 –percent in 2009-2010, and this year the governor announced more cuts, resulting in an additional 6.2- percent at SSCC, or $1.2 million.

The West Seattle Herald iPhone App was released on Thursday Oct. 7 and the newest version, now up to 1.3 is faster and easier to use, and it's still FREE.

The splash screen (the first thing that appears when you start the app) flashes on briefly then opens to the News Headlines. The top 12 most recent stories appear. You can link to the web page in question to see slideshows or videos directly from the app.

As before the app gives readers direct access to the Herald's full Flickr Photo Gallery, containing the best images from news stories we have covered over the past year, plus a direct in-app viewer for the West Seattle Herald YouTube Channel where you can see our standalone video stories.

But beyond those features you'll find that you can use the app to submit news stories to the Herald through a service called 360 News. The feature lets you take or use an existing photo, or video, and submit it directly to the Herald through the app itself. This solves the problem of attaching photos or videos or trying to find the right email address, it's all built in.

For Kay Singkeo and her two children who attend Holy Rosary School, using the crosswalk at California Ave s.w. and Dakota s.w. has always been treacherous during the a.m. commuter rush.

“Cars are just flying by that early in the morning,” she said.

Finally, last school year, she got fed up with the morning gauntlet and contacted the Seattle Department of Transportation to request school speed limit signs be installed since there are a number of schools near the intersection and many children using it on a weekly basis.

“It took an unreal number of phone calls,” Singkeo said. “I wasn’t going to let up because it’s about all of our safety.”

Finally, in September, her persistence paid off. SDOT installed signs that read, “20 mph School Zone When Children are Present.”

But nothing changed.

“Much to the danger of our students, (the signs) are going virtually ignored,” she said. “I even drove my car around the block to see how visible the signs are, and they are there.”

Wendy Warborg walks her children to school as well and has had a couple of close calls at the crosswalk, one time having to grab her daughter by the hood and yank her back to avoid a car.

The Seattle Police Department is seeking the public's help in identifying those responsible for an armed robbery in Renton on Sep. 23. They believe, based on similar clothing, and similarity of motive and suspect descriptions that they were also responsible for a series of robberies in Seattle including one on Admiral Way on Sep. 12.

The PDF link above is the actual police report from the Sep. 12 Admiral Way robbery.

This information was posted on the the SPD blotter:

On early Thursday morning, September 23rd, at approximately 2:00 a.m., there was an armed robbery at the Chevron Gas Station in the 100 block of SW Sunset Blvd in Renton. Two suspects wearing masks entered the store together, approached the clerk and demanded money.

The clerk opened the till and both suspects came behind the counter and grabbed the cash. The suspects fled with no vehicle being seen. The suspects were armed with a gun and a knife. About an hour after this robbery, the same suspects, wearing identical clothing committed a similar robbery at a store in the 1600 block of Queen Ann Ave N in Seattle.

PoliceReport-2010319631.pdf

FOR THE ECONOMIC VITALITY OF WEST SEATTLE AND OUR REGION THIS PROJECT MUST PROCEED.

It has been almost ten years since the Nisqually quake severely damaged the Alaskan Way viaduct. Since that time we in West Seattle and in the rest of the city have debated the pros and cons of
a) repairing or replacing the existing elevated roadway,
b) digging a cut and cover tunnel and improving surface streets, transit and the central waterfront
c) drilling a deep bored tunnel and improving the surface streets, transit and central
waterfront or
d) taking the old viaduct down and just improving the surface streets, transit, 1-5 and central waterfront. In 2007 the citizens of our fair city voted against both option
a) repairing or replacing the existing elevated roadway and
option b) digging a cut and cover tunnel.

2 year old Maddie is a Portugese Water Dog, just like one President Obama owns, who belongs to Kim Kerwin. Maddie is from a breeder on Lopez Island in the San Juans and is a pure bred. Her name is short for Madeleine which Kerwin explained is a wine named Madeleine Angevine made on the Island.

Why a water dog? "I am a neat freak and they don't shed, and they are supposed to be good for allergies," said Kerwin.

Maddie loves her Pro Plan dry dog food and loves to chew on "indestructible bones" Kerwin said, "They are really good. She has a ton of those around the house."

Her sleep habits are worthy of note because she, "sleeps right on top of the pillows," Kerwin explained, "right next to your head. She just likes to be with us." This means of course that she keeps the same hours as her owners, rising and resting at the same time.

The third public meeting for the new West Seattle Golf Driving Range is now set for Wednesday, Oct. 27 at 7:00 p.m..

The design team and Seattle Parks staff will present concepts that reflect public input from the first two meetings, answer questions and take input about this project.

To review the efforts to date please visit http://seattle.gov/parks/projects/west_seattle_golf/.

The community participated in developing the Golf Master Plan at a series of meetings held throughout the city in 2009. The first Master Plan element to be constructed will be a new driving range at the West Seattle Golf Course.

On August 4, 2010 Parks held public meeting #1 to introduce the design team, present the master plan concept and take questions.

Parks held public meeting #2 on September 15, 2010. At this meeting, the design team presented a concept that responded to many of the concerns raised in meeting #1.

There were 181 reported car prowls in the City of Seattle over the last seven days of September; a number that beats out any other reported crime in the city over that period.

According to the Seattle Police Department website, “You are more likely to be a victim of a vehicle crime than any other crime reported to the Seattle Police Department. An experienced Car Prowler or Thief can gain access to your car in virtually seconds. In less than 30 seconds, someone could break into a parked car. Most car prowls themselves take less than two minutes. The damage done to locks and windows can be very expensive to repair and cause great inconvenience.”

Car prowls in West Seattle hold to this pattern and in any given week can dominate the police reports. According to Capt. Steve Paulsen, commander for the SPD Southwest Precinct, car prowls, car theft and home burglary are the main focus of police in West Seattle because it is primarily a residential area.

Car prowls top that list in occurrence because they are so easy to pull off, according to Capt. Paulsen.