March 2012

Update for March 26
Police say the man arrested on Saturday night for firing a handgun at another man on Alki Ave S.W. was kicked out of a bar earlier in the evening after the two men got into an altercation.

The 28-year-old victim, who was not hit by any bullets, was approached by the suspect and fired upon later that evening in a nearby alley.

The 20-something year old suspect fled in a silver Subaru but responding officers located and arrested him on Harbor Ave S.W. before he made it too far.

Original post
Information from Detective Jeff Kappel with Seattle Police:

On March 24th at approximately Midnight officers responded to a 911 call of a “man with a gun” in the 2800 block of Alki Avenue SW. Further reports stated that there were shots fired.

Preliminary investigation indicates that two adult males were in some sort of altercation when the suspect fired gunshots at the victim in the alley behind the 2800 block of Alki Avenue SW. The victim was not hit nor injured in the altercation. No property damage has been located at this time.

The Chief Sealth Seahawks were in fine form on Friday March 23, defeating the Franklin Quakers in a slugfest 11-7. The winning pitcher was Izac Bauer.

The game saw some powerful hitting from Sealth's Lucas Boyd who got 3 hits out of 4 at bats with 3 runs batted in and Jake Eddy who out of 3 at bats got a hit each time and had 1 run batted in. Ryan Korling got 2 hits as well.

CLICK THE PHOTO ABOVE TO SEE MORE

Up next for the Seahawks at the Southwest Athletic Complex are the O'Dea Fighting Irish on March 26. The game will start at 3:30 pm.

The Sealth Head Baseball Coach is Ernest Policarpio.

Sealth's remaining baseball schedule:

03-28-12 West Seattle Away

03-30-12 West Seattle Home

04-02-12 Lakeside Away

04-03-12 Nathan Hale Away

04-04-12 Ingraham Away

04-06-12 Ingraham Home

04-09-12 Nathan Hale Home

04-11-12 Bainbridge Away

Athena's Gyros, a mobile food vendor, in business at festivals in Seattle since 1987 is busy remodeling the former Zippy's Giant Burgers location at 1513 s.w. Holden and owner Nick Parisi said it should be open (as simply Athena's) hopefully by April 15. It's all pending health inspection of course.

The remodel is adding a third more space to the admittedly small restaurant but surprisingly, by removing a utility closet they've added enough floor space to no accommodate seating for 15 to 20 people at a time.

This is a family business. "My dad started frying calzones at Folk Life in 1980," Parisi said," and he passed it on to me," in 2004. The food truck has been in operation for about 9 months. That truck is operating on site, on Holden Street until the restaurant opens.

Once open the restaurant will have a beer (with different beers rotating through, all local). On the menu will be gyros, souvlaki, falafel and Greek burgers, "Like a lamb burger and a bunch of others," bringing burgers back to the neighborhood.

On the sweet side will be milkshakes, soft serve ice cream, and gelato.

The Seattle Gilbert & Sullivan Society was founded in 1954. The Society's set designer, Nathan Rodda, 61, does not go back quite that far with the company, but has been a devoted crew member for quite some time.

"If people want to remember my name, just think of 'Rodda Paint', which I use on my sets," said Rodda with a grin, who swears he is not otherwise linked to the company. "I am literally from Normandy Park," he said. "I was born in our home there."

He designs sets for the Little Burien Theatre, and co-owns The Dickens Carolers of Seattle. Rodda is soon off to Juneau to work on the set of Hairspray.

Melanie Batts of Burien began with the Gilbert & Sullivan Society in 1975 as a costume maker. She currently volunteers. Batts teaches French and world history at Kennedy High School.

"I know most of the words of the Gilbert & Sulivan songs by heart," she said. "I have all the recordings. I am a Savoyard."

SLIDESHOW: Click on photo for more

“Fairies, Felons & Frivolities”, a cabaret-style show hosted by KIRO-FM radio icon Dave Ross for the Seattle Gilbert & Sullivan Society has come to the Crown Hill Center, Ballard, on Friday & Saturday, March 23 & 24, tonight.

West Seattle opera singer Hollis Heron performs in tonight's spring cabaret. She appeared last night to a crowd thrilled by an eclectic collection of songs, onstage hijinks, and characters, serious to silly.

Long-time ensemble member and Seattle talk show icon Dave Ross, KIRO-FM radio host, would be the first to admit he is a character, and quite the curmudgeon as usual. The Savoyard is joined on stage at times by his grinning daughter, Caitlin. He does have a serious side when it comes to supporting and fundraising for the Society.

The University of Washington women's basketball team has a shot at making history this Sunday afternoon.

If the Huskies beat San Diego in the Women's Invitation Tournament quarterfinals at Hec Edmundson Pavillion, they will move on to their first Final Four of any postseason tournament in 22 appearances spanning 38 years. The game starts at noon.

The victor in the UW-San Diego duel will face the winner of the Oklahoma State (19-12) vs.Colorado (20-13) game on March 28 or 29 in the semifinals at a site to be determined.

The Huskies made the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament in 2001, beating Old Dominion, Florida and Oklahoma before losing to SW Missouri, 104-87. Giuliana Mendiola, Megan Franza, Loree Payne and Andrea Lalum starred on that June Daugherty-coached team.

The 2011-12 Huskies have beaten Cal Poly, Utah and Oregon State in the WNIT so far, helping salve the misfortune of four losing seasons prior to this campaign.

If you have plans to head north through downtown Seattle this weekend, allow a little extra time. It's not a return to the fabled Viadoom but the viaduct will be closed.

Starting at 6am on Saturday morning, March 24 State Route 99 Alaskan Way Viaduct will be closed both ways between the Battery Street Tunnel and the West Seattle Bridge until 5am on Monday morning according to WSDOT.

The closure is scheduled to permit safety inspections and reinforcement work. The viaduct between Washington and Columbia streets will also get some reinforcement work over the two day closure.

The next scheduled closure is the first weekend in April which according to SDOT is "necessary to complete their work, which must occur before the world’s largest diameter tunnel boring machine passes beneath the structure in late 2013.”

The University of Washington women's basketball team has a shot at making history this Sunday afternoon.

If the Huskies beat San Diego in the Women's Invitation Tournament quarterfinals at Hec Edmundson Pavillion, they will move on to their first Final Four of any postseason tournament in 22 appearances spanning 38 years. The game starts at noon.

The victor in the UW-San Diego duel will face the winner of the Oklahoma State (19-12) vs.Colorado (20-13) game on March 28 or 29 in the semifinals at a site to be determined.

The Huskies made the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament in 2001, beating Old Dominion, Florida and Oklahoma before losing to SW Missouri, 104-87. Giuliana Mendiola, Megan Franza, Loree Payne and Andrea Lalum starred on that June Daugherty-coached team.

The 2011-12 Huskies have beaten Cal Poly, Utah and Oregon State in the WNIT so far, helping salve the misfortune of four losing seasons prior to this campaign.

Sports Roundup
Monday, March 19
Baseball
Tyee 10, Evergreen 0
Chad Celestres struck out 12 in a one-hitter this past Monday and also hit 2-for-3 with one RBI.
Roosevelt 12, Foster 2
Foster fell in a non-league game last Monday.
Fastpitch
Tyee 19, Evergreen 9
Evergreen High School of White Center took a 10-run loss to the Totems of SeaTac in a high scoring game Monday.
Caitlin Copehaver, Jordan Kelley and Maddie Kelley all homered for Tyee.
Issaquah 7, Mt. Rainier 1
The Rams were held to one run in a non-league game last Monday.
Ballard 3, Highline 0
It took eight innings to settle last Monday's non-league clash.
Boys soccer
Highline 1, Aub.-Mountainview 1
The Pirates played Auburn-Mountainview to a tie this past Monday.
Eduardo Valdovinos kept goal for Highline.
SCS 3, Cascade Christian 0
Blake Smith recorded the shutout on goal for the Warriors Monday and Grant Fremmerlid scored one goal and two assists.

Tuesday, March 20
Boys soccer
Tyee 5, Evergreen 1
Evergreen absorbed a 5-1 loss to the Totems last Tuesday.
Baseball
Highline 19, Foster 2

People have been anxious for Ballard Coffee Works to open ever since Tully's closed last fall and Seattle Coffee Works owner Sebastian Simsch announced he'd be expanding his business to Ballard's prime corner location on 22nd Avenue NW and NW Market Street.

Last Friday, people got their wish as Ballard Coffee Works (BCW) opened a week ahead of schedule.

"We had to open. People were pounding the doors. It was a zoo in here," said Simsch. "People have been waiting for this corner to reopen for a long time."

BCW is an expansion of Simsch's Seattle Coffee Works on Pike Street, which opened six years ago.

"I've wanted this spot for years so when I heard Tully's was leaving, I jumped on it right away," said Simsch, a Phinney Ridge resident. "Ballard is arguably the most exciting neighborhood in Seattle right now. It's bustling, there's lots of building going on, and yet you still have the old guard maritime industry. What a fascinating spot."

Simsch said it's been a whirlwind of activity ever since he got the building, as they stripped the interior and exterior, giving the old bank location a new look.