We received a number of emails from Magnolia residents who saw police activity this afternoon in the area of Viewmont Way.  This one from Bekki:

I was driving home from work at approx 5:30 this evening and there were three police cars present with police surrounding an individual in handcuffs.  I continued driving and there were two additional police cars parked on Viewmont Way W. 

Steve wrote to us and said the police officers were using dogs during this incident.  We have not been able to get any details from the Seattle Police Department yet so let us know if you have any information.

There is a new business coming to The Village next week. 

Magnolia resident Sarah Stine is opening Fabric Crush, a small, boutique fabric shop specializing in cotton fabrics by American designers and a small selection of Japanese cottons.  She will also be selling patterns, thread and notions. Fabric Crush will offer sewing classes beginning next year.  
 
Fabric Crush is located at 2313 Viewmont Way West just around the corner from the Magnolia Veterinary clinic and directly across the street from the Episcopal church.  Shop hours are Tuesday through Saturday 10:00 to 5:00. 
 

Stine says she has been selling fabric online, out of her home, for over two years and this seems like a good time to open a store.  She and her husband have two young sons and have lived in Magnolia for nine years. She says she is excited to be opening in The Village and she looks forward to being part of the neighborhood business community.   

Photos courtesy Chara Michele Photography.  

Watch out when you park your car in Discovery Park.  The Seattle PI.com did an analysis of car prowl incidents for Seattle from 1989 to May, 2007 and they found that they most common block for car prowls in the city is the 3800 block of West Government Way, the parking area inside Discovery Park. The survey was part of a story the PI did following the arrest last week of a man suspected in a string of robberies in Seattle.  Read the story here.

Thieves also prefer the 200 block of Mercer Street, near KeyArena. Parking lots around Green Lake are also popular, with two blocks on the east and west sides of the lake accounting for at least 949 car prowls combined since 1989.  The good news is that the number of reported car prowls dropped by nearly 30 percent in 2006. The bad news is that of the roughly $6.2 million in property taken that year, only about five percent was recovered, according to Seattle police records.

Next to always locking your car, keeping it clear of any valuable including backpacks, purses and even loose change in the console is the best way to avoid car prowls according to Seattle Police.  

Magnolia’s local band The Sciaticats will be appearing at The Village Pub in a return engagement on Friday (10/2).  A good crowd turned out for their last show in August.  The band is fronted by two long-time Magnolia residents, Dave Ingalls (lead vocals and drums) and Wayne Lubin (Hammond organ). They say they are looking forward to bringing their six member band to play once again for the home crowd. 

The band has a soulful sound with classic rhythm and blues, presented with the signature Sciaticat twist. A driving rhythm section, accented with spicy horn arrangements and Dave’s unique vocal style will have you jumping out of your seat.  They will starte playing at 9:00PM and go until midnight.  

Go Legs Cycle Studio in the Magnolia Village has announced that it will close at the end of this month.  Owner Karen Moyer says she plans to close the cycling studio that has been open since 2006.  Prior to shutting down for good on November 1, Moyer says the studio will offer free spinning classes during the month of October for every class each day. 

Moyer sent this note to members of the Go Legs Cycle Studio and posted it on the Go Legs website:  

It is with deep regret I am writing to inform you that after three plus years, Go Legs Cycle Studio will be closing November 1st, 2009.  Due to a combination of the economy, loosing members to a “better deal” at local health clubs, and a difficult location for the business, I cannot keep Go Legs open in Magnolia.  With much effort to try to stay open, this decision has been very difficult and emotional for me. However, from a business point it makes the most sense to close as much as I would love to stay open.  

I am SO thankful to my amazing, loyal staff through the years. SO proud of each of you! Many of you were clients turned into fantastic instructors! SO remarkable! I encourage you to follow them wherever they go to teach!  Alisa will be in touch regarding any refunds.

Moyer says she plans to open another Go Legs in the Seattle area in the future at a different location. She also has a new cycle studio opening in the Sarasota, Florida area in December.  Moyer and her family live in Florida during the school year while her sons attend a baseball academy.  They recently put their home in Magnolia up for sale.  Karen Moyer continues to run the Moyer Foundation with offices in Magnolia.

We now know what caused last night’s power outages in Magnolia and Queen Anne. Roberto Bonaccorso from Seattle City Light  says:

What we (City Light) know at this point is that a planned repair in an underground vault near the Seattle Center was completed on schedule early Saturday morning. In order to prepare a test of the repair, power for the Center was diverted to an alternate feeder (a feeder is a big line that transmits power to large areas of the city).

At that point, a junction box failed on the alternate feeder. Power was switched to a second alternate feeder in order to identify what repairs needed to be made. On Sunday, we had a failure on this second alternate feeder at another location.

Crews were sent out to isolate the problem and our switching operators were able to restore power to customers using multiple feeders. Meanwhile repairs are ongoing to the original junction box and failed cable.

At this time power has been restored to all affected by last night’s outages in Magnolia and Queen Anne but according to Bonaccorso there is no estimate for the completion of the original repairs

The UW Medicine Salute to Harborview Gala will honor two Magnolia teens who survived a fall into an ice cave last summer.  Alec Corbett and Allesandro Gelmini were trapped under tons of ice for five hours after falling into the cave near Snoqualmie Pass in August, 2008.  The boys are friends who at the time of the accident were both attending Bishop Blanchet High School.  They were taking photographs during a hike near Denny Creek with Corbett’s family when the cave collapsed. 

                                                      (Photos courtesy Clare McLean/UW)

Corbett (on left next to his mom Joni) and Gelmini were airlifted to Harborview Medical Center where they spent weeks recoving.  They both suffered broken backs and other injuries in the collapse and needed several surgeries and physical therapy.  “When it first happened didn’t think I would make it out,” said Gelmini.

The gala on February 27 is an annual fundraising event for charity care programs at Harborview.  Over the past five years the gala has raised more than $5 million with all of the proceeds going towards Harborview programs that serve vulnerable populations.  The event will honor Corbett and Gelmini whose lives were put back together at Harborview.

Both boys have now full recovered. Corbett is attending college and Gelmini is a sophomore in high school.

Update 1:30 a.m. City Light now says all but 280 customers in Magnolia and Queen Anne have been restored. The outage was caused by a faulty cable.

Update 10 p.m. Just over 4,000 Magnolia homes are in the dark Sunday night due to a power outage with the following boundaries, according to Seattle City Light: West Emerson St. (north), West Mercer St. (south), Taylor Ave. (East) and 32nd Ave. (West). There’s no word on the cause or when power will be restored. It’s unclear if this outage is related to an earlier outage reported by neighbors this afternoon in the forum here.

Meanwhile, over in Queen Anne, as many as 10,000 customers are without power, likely due to a blown transformer. Queen Anne View has coverage here.

The perfect weather helped make this year’s Fishermen’s Festival a huge success.

We snapped a few shots of all the action including the annual Survival Suit races…

UPDATE:  Twenty one SPU students were hard at work today at Magnolia’s Lawton School, putting in over 100 hours of weeding, pruning, mulching, raking and sweeping.  They completely spruced up the grounds of the school.  (Thanks Scott for the photos!)

To top off their day, they headed up into the Lawton Ravine with 25 gallons of water for the many cedar and fir trees that SPU students had planted in years past on “CityQuest” service days.

Nearly 800 Seattle Pacific University students will start off the new school year by spending their first day in college volunteering all over the city. From 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, September 26, students will lead volunteers groups to fix up houses, clean parks, remove graffiti and participate in other projects at 30 different locations around town, as part of SPU’s “CityQuest,” an annual community service orientation. Volunteers will be working in Magnolia cleaning up Lawton School.  They will work on the grounds of the school, weeding and doing general yardwork and clean up.  For a list of citywide projects, click here. 

In light of recent criminal activity in our area, we wanted to share this information from Terrie Johnston, Crime Prevention Officer for the Seattle Police Department.

Johnston says that earlier this week a dog walker in Rodgers Park in Queen Anne (1st Ave. West and West Raye Street) saw a group of young men drinking and being obnoxious.  The man confronted the group and told them to take the party elsewhere.  He was then stuck and wrestled to the ground by the suspects who left in a car.  The victim was not able to give a description of the suspects or the car. Officers checked the park and surrounding area but did not locate the suspects.  Here is what Johnston recommends:

If you witness strangers engaging in criminal activity, please call 911 first and try to give a good description.  We would not dispatch a lone SPD officer to handle fiver or six unruly individuals, and we would never want you to put yourself in an unsafe situation, when 911 could be called.
 
Robberies usually take less than two minutes to commit.  Once a robbery begins, your main objective is to end it as quickly and safely as possible.  Never resist a robber. You are dealing with a volatile individual and the stakes are not worth serious injury or death.  Be as cooperative as possible.  The longer the robbery takes, the more nervous the robber becomes.  Once the robber has left, call 911 immediately.  Make notes regarding the description of suspects.

Most victims tell us that the crime happened so quickly they weren’t able to get a good look.  This is something we can all work on improving.  Practice getting good descriptions of people and cars around you.  Like anything, the more you do it the better you become.  Practicing this when not in crisis may carry over in the event you ever need to be a witness to a serious incident.  When describing the suspect, use yourself as a ruler, since you know how tall you are.   Try to note the most impressive features about the individual such as tattoos, scars, complexion and glasses. It is helpful for us to know which way the “bad guys” went, so geographic awareness is crucial in good reporting.  Don’t chase the robber.  This invites violence and the police could mistake you for one of the criminals. 

If it has been awhile since you met with your neighbors, you can call Johnston to schedule a Block Watch meeting.  She can discuss the prevalent car prowls, and personal safety.  Her office phone at the West Precinct is 206-684-4741.  

There are two upcoming events for Magnolia residents regarding the West Point Treatment Plant in Discovery Park. 

On October 3 from 10a.m. to 1p.m. there is an open house at the treatment plant at 1400 Utah Street West where visitors will have a chance to learn where water goes when you brush and flush, see the technology that turns waste into resources, and explore Seattle’s history through archeology tours and Native American art.  Burke Museum staff will lead guided walking tours of an archaeological site discovered during a construction project.  Visitors are also invited to visit the Daybreak Star Indian Cultural Center to see the permanent art collection. 

The treatment plant is an industrial facility, so tour participants must wear sensible closed-toed shoes. Tours last about two hours and children accompanied by an adult are welcome.

On October 15 from 6:30 to 8:30pm there is a community meeting on West Point Treatment Plant improvement projects.  The meeting will be held at the Magnolia Commumity Center.  The meeting will focus on planned projects to upgrade and replace aging equipment including a new disinfection system, upgrading and improving the solids screening process, Installation of new generators to produce electricity from waste gas, replacing office trailers to provide more functional work space, upgrading facilities and equipment to streamline operations and maintenance.

West Point Treatment Plant Manager Pam Elardo will give a presentation and be available to answer questions. 

This Saturday is the Fall Festival at Fishermen’s Terminal from 11a.m. to 6p.m.  This is the 21st year of this free event that celebrates the return of the North Pacific Fishing fleet to its home base at Fishermen’s Terminal.

The day is packed with activities. Kids will find booths including miniature wooden boat building, fish prints, oyster art,  and a trout pond. 

Here is the schedule for the stages:
11:00 a.m. Salmon and Halibut Fillet Demonstration
12:00p.m. Shifty Sailors
1:00 p.m. Wild Salmon Fillet Competition
2:00 p.m. Lutefisk Eating Contest
3:00 p.m. Awards Ceremony for the Wild Salmon Fillet Competition
3:30 p.m. Oyster Slurp Competition
4:30 p.m. Kontagious Performing Company – Hip Hop Dancing
MAIN STAGE SCHEDULE
11:00 a.m. Sunshine from Polynesia – Traditional Hawaiian Dance Troupe
12:oop.m. J.P. Patches
1:00 p.m. Reptile Man
2:00 p.m. Music by Knut Bell
3:00 p.m. Survival Suit Race
4:00 p.m. Music by the Lost Varnets
6:00 p.m. Raffle, followed by more music by the Lost Varnets

There will also be a chance to donate to the Seattle Fishermen’s Memorial and efforts to honor the local fishing community and their families by purchasing a barbecue salmon meal for $10 that includes corn on the cob, beverage and dessert. There will also be tours of the Sea Star from the Discovery Channel’s Deadliest Catch show for $7.50 with proceeds from the entry fee going to the memorial. 

Ccandidate for Seattle mayor Mike McGinn will be hosting a town hall meeting in Magnolia on Sunday (9/27).

The public is invited to the Community Center at 4pm for the first town hall meeting by a candidate in Magnolia. This is one of five town hall events that McGinn will be hosting in Seattle neighborhoods this weekend.  He says they are a great opportunity to meet him, voice concerns and ask questions.