West Seattle

Officers responded to a home burglary in progress on the 6300 block of 37th Ave s.w. earlier in the week. The owner of the house had cracked his kitchen window to let in some fresh air and was in his bedroom when he heard some commotion from the kitchen, initially assuming it was the cats messing around (cat burglar pun intentionally omitted). The sound continued and sounded less cat-like, so the owner investigated and found the red-hooded sweatshirt wearing burglar about halfway through the window. The suspect saw the man and put it in reverse, sliding back out the way he came. The owner chased him towards the alley and as the suspect jumped a wooden fence he dropped his copper-colored Motorola phone in the alley. The suspect turned back, hoping to recover the phone, but the owner stood over it and yelled, “I saw you!” The call of “Male trying to climb through window / two minutes ago / ran northbound in alley on west side on foot,” came over the radio and a SPD officer responded. When the officers arrived they were shown the cell phone and given a description of the suspect.

Eat Local Now! Dinner Sep. 30 6 p.m.

The chefs take center stage at the 7th Annual Eat Local Now! dinner at Herban Feast’s Sodo Park venue on September 30th. Sustainable West Seattle, CoolMom, Herban Feast and The Seattle Good Business Network are partners in the event.

The event is at Herban Feast in Sodo Park at 3200 1st Avenue South in Seattle on September 30th from 6:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Get tickets and more information for the 7th Annual Eat Local Now! dinner at http://EatLocalNow.org or by calling 1-800-838-3006. This year's event presented by Sustainable West Seattle, CoolMom.org, Herban Feast and The Seattle Good Business Network.

GriefShare Class
Grace Church
10323 28th Ave. S.W.
Saturdays 10 a.m.-noon. This international grief recovery support group is open to anyone who has lost a loved one to death. You can start at anytime. For information: Barb at 206-932-7459.

As the new school year resumes, the cycle of intergenerational friendships continues between Holy Family Parish Middle School students and those lunching at the White Center Salvation Army Senior Center. The 6th, 7th and 8th grade classes alternate and participating kids visit the seniors every other week.

“Many students have already built relationships with certain seniors over the years,” said Salvation Army’s Janeece Talbot who supervises, pointing out that some of the 6th graders who first came in are now in 8th grade.

“They serve the meals, carry groceries, and help in the food pantry, but I think the most important thing is the relationships they’re building,” Talbot said of the students and Senior Center members. “They really care about each other. It’s been fun to watch over the years.”

“We’ve been coming here together for six years,” said Dianne Core, including her companion Doris Reed, neighbors in Tukwila. “The kids get to learn how to associate with the seniors. I think it’s really nice. I learn a lot about them, too. We talk about what they did in the summer, where they live. I tease the girls about finding a boyfriend.”

Explorer West Middle School head, Evan Hundley, has experienced a pride-filled start of the new school year with a promise of good things to follow.

September 18 he helped dedicate the former High Point Playfield, renamed for his father, Walt Huntley (Playfield.) Walt served as City Director of the office of Budget and Management (1974-1977) and was Seattle’s first African-American Parks Superintendent (1977-1988).

Evan Hundley also beams as Explorer West, 10015 28th Ave. SW in White Center, now occupies the entire building and lot it had shared with Westside School’s kindergarten through fifth grade since 1995, when Explorer West was founded.

Westside School occupied 65-percent of the building and lot, leaving the growing middle school just two classrooms, one office, and a shared gym. Westside School held an Open House Sept. 19 at its new location, the E.C. Hughes building, 7740 34th Avenue SW.

“Aging Your Way: Conversations for Community Change” a new initiative sponsored by Senior Services, held its third seminar in a series of 10 at Fauntleroy Church Sept. 23 where Baby Boomers, including community leaders, were asked how they want to be supported as they age so their local communities can make changes. The first two gatherings were held in SE Seattle and Shoreline. The theme centered on the following question, “What would a senior-friendly Southwest Community look like?”

As a visioning exercise, Senior Services Executive Director, Denise Klein, asked participants to close their eyes.

“I want you to age yourself 10 years,” she said. She paused for a minute, and continued, “Where are you living? How are you spending your time? Do you know your neighbors? Do they know you? If you need help, who helps you? Who are you helping? Is your life fulfilling? What are a few things that would help you age well in your community?”

By Stacey Riley

What's the easiest way to update your home? Paint, always paint! Nothing updates a room more easily, economically or more thoroughly than a fresh coat of paint. Dog and kid paws make walls dirty over time, so refresh that space with new color! Here are a few general rules to get you started and to keep in mind. Or, just call me for a color consultation!

Accent walls. I believe that most people view an accent wall as an opportunity to use color without actually committing. It is my job to push (or gently nudge) you out of your comfort zone. So, unless you have a fabulous view or an amazing architectural feature to highlight, forget that accent wall. Go for flow and stay away from this sure sign of an amateur at work. Accent walls often break up space in an awkward way and create a choppy feeling within a space.

Swedish Automotive completed the process of moving (though some unpacking remains) and celebrated the move to their new building at 35th s.w. and Kenyon with an open house on Sept. 25. Owner Dave Winters was not in his usual Swedish blue garb, "I had to give it a rest. I've been working so many hours lately that 8 to 8 was a short day," he quipped.

Touring the new facility were Todd Ainsworth, whose own shop West Seattle Autoworks will open October 1 and Tom Smith of Tom's Automotive with a 30 year employee John Bradley. The trio shared car repair stories and Smith pointed out that "This is a good business and Dave will do just fine here. He's been here for over twenty years. I think it's an investement in the West Seattle economy."

Ainsworth added that, "You can't really work on cars in the back yard with a crescent wrench anymore. There's just too much technology on cars these days. The more modern the shop and the more modern the equipment the more efficiently and accurately you can get your car repaired."

Chief Sealth International High School held their Community Celebration Sat. Sept. 25 and provided tours to the public that showed up by the hundreds to see what $50 million can mean when put into buildings, technology and innovative practice.

CLICK THE IMAGE ABOVE TO SEE MORE PHOTOS FROM THE EVENT

The marching band took the steps in front of the school just after 9:45 a.m. to welcome guests and entertain.
Nels Enquist, a 1970 graduate and who worked at Sealth for 30 years and has served as Athletic Director, Assistant Principal and more was on hand to conduct multiple tours of the facility. Principal John Boyd said, "Nobody know the building better than Nels."

Reactions were all positive to the work done.

Claudia Brim Lyle and James Lyle , Sealth graduates in 1967 and 1965 respectively were touring the campus. Claudia said, "I think it's wonderful, so far I've only seen this hall!" James said, "I think it's great I really do, wow."

Judge Michael Heavey has responded to the decision by the Commission on Judicial Conduct to admonish him for his comments regarding the Amanda Knox case. Heavey is currently out of the country but shared his statement with the West Seattle Herald. His attorney has filed an Answer to statement of charges which can be downloaded at the link above. This is Heavey's personal statement, and does not reflect the opinion of the court in any capacity.

Personal Statement of Michael Heavey*

It has been the distinct honor of my professional career to be a member of the judiciary. With the entry of this stipulation, I am pleased that the Commission on Judicial Conduct and I have been able to settle this matter which I am now happy to put behind me. I am very thankful for the support of my family, friends, and colleagues during this trying time.

Answer to statement of charges.pdf

Dear Editor,
Thanks for the article on the driving range at the west seattle golf course. While I knew it was being considered your article was nicely clarifiying. The driving range will be a great addition. And the trade-offs are ok. But that is easy to say because I am a poor golfer so quite flexible to changes in the course layout.

Tom Friberg