If you have ever driven down 34th Ave West, you have seen the house flying a Confederate flag, with a classic red pickup in front and piles of junk all over the yard.  The house has always been a mess in this neighborhoold of nicely kept homes, with beat up cars everywhere and trash around the propery.  Now the man who has lived in the home since the 1950’s has been evicted.

The man was legally removed from the home because he owed back taxes and the bank took the home back.  He has reportedly lived there all his life and the home was given to him by his mother. 

The home was sold in a public auction and the buyer bought it sight unseen for around $300,000.  The new owner is now responsible for cleaning it up.  When we visited the house today neighbors told us that the new owners are beginning the process but its unclear how long it will take to make it liveable.  Some wonder if the house will have to be torn down.  There are  reports of human waste in the house and when we looked in the windows you could see it was filled with garbage.  The back yard is also severely overgrown.  It looks like a huge amount of work.

Neighbors are relieved to have the man gone.  They say the place has been an eyesore for years and he has refused to clean it.  The home has not had running water for over two years and he actually tried to tap into the neighbor’s water line at one point.  The place is filled with debris.  The man was known to visit neighborhood garage sales and purchase more stuff to add to his piles of junk.

No word on where the former owner is now.

Looking for a good outing this weekend?  Seattle Parks is offering a Family Low Tide Beach Walk on Saturday from 10am to 11:30am.  This is listed as perfect for families with small children. You will Join a trained naturalist guide to explore the intertidal world of Discovery Park’s sandy South Beach. The event is free but you need to register in advance.  Call the park at 206-386-4236 or register online at www.seattle.gov/parks and click on the SPARC registration selection.  The beach walk is course 1025.  

Here are the renderings of the ten townhomes that have now been conditionally approved by the city for the area next to Bartells at the junction of 32nd Ave West and Clise Place West. This southern edge of The Village is quickly turning into townhome heaven with 15 townhomes almost complete across the street. 

There are lots of trees on this site, some of them up to 60” in diameter. Many have expressed concern that the trees would be taken down for this project.  In the written approval the city claims that most of the ’substantial’ trees, including four of the five existing Giant Sequoias will be retained. The design concentrates development into a tight cluster and they also plan additional street trees for privacy. 

We reported a few weeks ago that the permit sign posted at this project has been defaced by someone who was unhappy with the project.

Little Emma is ready for kindergarten at Lawton Elementary School.  She attended the Popsicles in the Park event for students who are new to the school this year.

Over at Blaine parents were checking class schedules to find out which teacher would have the pleasure of working with their kids this year. 

Blaine also hosted an open house for students who are new to the school.

School starts at Blaine and Lawton on Wednesday, September 3.

It’s been a tough few days for the families of the Magnolia teens who were rescued from an ice cave collapse at Snoqualmie Pass on Friday. 

Their mothers met with reporters this morning outside Harborview where their sons are recovering and took the chance to say thank you to rescuers who worked for five hours to free their sons.

Alec Corbett, 17 and Allesandro Gelmini, 14 are Magnolia neighbors who attend Bishop Blanchet High School.  Both boys underwent back surgery over the weekend and Gelmini is in surgery again today for leg fractures.  Their parents say they are very grateful that both boys are expected to recover.

It will be awhile before the boys are back to normal and it looks like they will miss the start of school but the moms say it is nothng short of a miracle that they are alive.  View the interview here.

Studio 122 owner Steven Stanfield believes the power to be healthy and live a balanced life lies within each of us. Stanfield, seen here balancing on an exercise ball, is hosting free monthly workshops at his Magnolia business where participants will learn about sustainable health.

Each workshop includes four professionals in an interactive forum. The goal of the one hour session is to provide simple tools and information for enhancing health and well-being.

The next workshop is set for Wednesday, August 27 from 6pm to 7pm at Studio 122 located at the corner of Government Way and 36th Ave West. It’s called “Getting the most out of your workout”

Studio 122 is much more than a gym, it’s an impressive health center offering programs that cater to each individual’s goals. They offer nutrition and lifestyle coaching as well as accupuncture and theraputic message.

The clients at Studio 122 range in age from four years to 81 years old and they also offer group sessions. The focus depends on the needs of the client and can include weight loss, sports training, balance or getting back in shape after the birth of a baby. Stanfield says they offer a holistic approach with an emphasis on education, giving clients what they need so they can get what they want.

There are also parent and tot play classes, infant message classes, healthy cooking classes and this fall they will be offering a creative art class. The fees for the classes vary.

If youa re interested, call Studio 122 at 206-624-6693.

Hundreds of car enthusiasts flocked to The Village today to drool over dozens of vintage and collector cars at Magnolia Village Auto Show.

The event took over McGraw Street for much of the day Saturday.

The most popular vehicle at the show was this extremely rare 1924 Delage GL Labourdette Skiff — designed to compete with Rolls Royce. The Skiff features ash wood ribs with three layers of mahogany down the sides. The chassis alone cost $5,370 back in 1923 — one if the most expensive cars of its kind.

Of course, any car show in Magnolia wouldn’t be complete without a couple Ferraris and a Lamborghini from the, ahem, higher-end residents in the neighborhood. Notice the license plate on this baby.

By the way, this year’s car show was almost a no-show. But Eric Berge from Werner’s Crash Shop worked hard to secure the permits, print up the ads and and bring the collectors to the show. Thanks, Eric!

More traffic challenges around Magnolia. 

Seattle Department of Transportation tells us the Ballard Bridge will be down to one lane southbound Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. while engineers conduct a routine bridge inspection.

At least it’s just for a few hours.

UPDATE: The boys are recovering at Harborview. Families say it will be a long road but they are grateful that the boys will eventually be OK and they are thankful to the rescue workers for their efforts.

UPDATE: Both boys are now out of surgery. They both suffered pretty serious injuries in the snow cave collapse, including broken backs and leg fractures. Alec Corbett is listed in satisfactory condition and Allesandro Gelmini is listed in serious condition.

UPDATE: Both of the teens are currently undergoing surgery at Harborview Medical Center.

Two Magnolia teens were freed by rescue crews tonight after being trapped for several hours in a collapsed snow cave near Snoqualmie Pass.

Alect Corbett, 17 and Allesandro Gelmini, 14 are Magnolia neighbors who attend Bishop Blanchet High School.  The boys were taken to Harborview Medical Center following the rescue.  The boys are said to have serious but not life threatening injuries after being trapped for nearly five hours.

The boys were hiking near the Denny Creek trail with Corbett’s family when they walked into a snow cave which collapsed on top of them.  KING TV has video from the scene.

To celebrate the conclusion of the Downtown Sailing Series races, there will be a fireworks show tonight (Thursday) off the shores of Magnolia. Entertainment Fireworks tells the West Seattle Blog that the show will start around 8:45 p.m. from a barge near the Elliott Bay Marina.

Friday night is your chance to mingle with local moviemakers when the Boxcar Ale House hosts a short film screening and party. 

The short film, Emerald City, was shot all around Seattle by up and coming local filmaker Henry Darrow McComas.  Post production took place in Magnolia and the film is said to feature outstanding visual effects.  The movie brings to life the story of a young musician named Elijah and Seattle’s hip hop community played a large part in the film and the soundtrack.

If you want to check it out, head to the Boxcar Ale House at 3407 Gilman Ave West at 8 p.m. on Friday. 

Don’t forget that tonight (Thursday) is your chance to give your input on the Fort Lawton proposal.  The hearing starts at 5:30pm at City Hall at 600 4th Ave.

The primary purpose of the hearing tonight is to gather public opinion about the plan that could put up to 216 homes, including housing for the homeless, at the current site of the Army Reserve Center at Discovery Park.

The Magnolia Village Auto Show gives you a chance to admire close to 100 classic cars.  McGraw Street will be closed to traffic for the show that is free to the public from 9am to 3pm.

The Auto Show is sponsored by the Magnolia Chamber of Commerce

Kirkland Police confirm a tip we got from Magnolia Voice reader “C.J.” regarding property that was stolen during car prowls in Magnolia.  Turns out they found a trove of purses and checkbooks taken in Magnolia when they busted the thieves in Kirkland.

Captain Rex Caldwell from Kirkland PD says the thieves are hightly mobile.  The come to ‘nice’  neighborhoods like Magnolia looking for cars to break into.  He says they tend to move quickly from one neighorhood to the next which explains how they were busted in Kirkland.  

The stolen property in this case was traced back to Magnolia residents and everything they recovered was returned.

Caldwell says the best way to protect yourself from car prowls is to take everything out when you park.  He is surprised at how easy residents make it for thieves by leaving things like laptop computers, garage door openers, purses, gym bags and cell phones in their cars.  He also said that portable global positioning systems (GPS) are very tempting to car prowlers.