(Taken at 17th/Cambridge. We have blurred the face of one person who did not appear to be SPD.)
Two cases tonight: We don’t have official details on the one that’s still happening, but in South Delridge, police are out right now dealing with a report that was described on the scanner as an armed robbery, apparently at a business, possibly on 17th SW. We checked out the scene and saw what appeared to be a search, but it wasn’t clear exactly where the investigation was centered, so we’ll be checking back with SPD later.
There also was some scanner traffic about a strong-arm street robbery earlier – and we have received a note from the victim, a longtime WSB’er who says she was held up at knifepoint in Arbor Heights around 5:30 pm by someone who stole her iPhone 4S. She says police made an arrest but did not find the phone, so she is asking people in the area to be on the lookout for it. (We have a followup question out to ask where in AH this happened.) She says the data on it “has been wiped,” but she has its serial number from its original packaging.
ADDED 12:14 AM: The victim says it happened near 35th/106th, and that the suspect was found around the 9700-9900 block of 35th. The missing phone is a black iPhone 4S, 32GB, “in a black Marware flip case at the time.”
If you’re not among the Trader Joe’s fan base … just skip right over this one. Nothing earthshaking, but it’s a semi-goofy little Friday night tidbit:
Every so often – despite the ongoing construction (which we updated here the day after Christmas) – someone e-mails us to ask, with skepticism, “Well, how come Trader Joe’s doesn’t list West Seattle on its page of ‘coming soon’ stores?” We always reply by explaining that we have watched their website a LONG time while covering all this, and TJ’s doesn’t seem to add future stores to the list till they’re almost ready to open. Having said that, we checked their website tonight for the first time in a week or so and noticed West Seattle is finally on the list:
So for anyone STILL skeptical, there you go. (If you missed our recent update, the opening is currently projected for early spring.)
Received this late today from Southwest Precinct operations Lt. Pierre Davis:
A group of very humbled officers came to me earlier today and told me of an act of kindness that is indicative of the kind of people we serve here in West Seattle.
They stated that they were finishing their lunch at the Circa restaurant located at California & Admiral and needed to pay their bill but was told by the waitress that an anonymous citizen had taken care of their tab, stating that their service to the community and city was very much appreciated. The officers, after acknowledging the gesture, left the restaurant and reported what had occurred. Needless to say the officers were touched that their West Seattle Community would once again show that their officers remain cherished and in high regard. So on behalf of your West Seattle officers we would like to say “thank you” to our West Seattle Community for continuously making the extra effort to strengthen the community/police partnership.
Again today, news of a new location for another one of the businesses that will be displaced when work begins on the California/Alaska/42nd site just bought by megadeveloper Equity Residential. Today, we have confirmed that Super Supplements has chosen its new West Seattle location – the Morgan Junction storefront that Blockbuster Video is vacating, at 6451 Fauntleroy Way SW. Super Supplements says it’s expecting to make the move this summer, probably in July. It’s been on the southeast corner of California/Alaska for more than five years (we reported its impending arrival in April 2006). Just yesterday, we confirmed that Sound Advice, a few doors south of Super Supplements, will move to a new home a block north. Equity hasn’t set a date yet for starting construction on the two-building, 190+-apartment project approved for the site, but told WSB on Wednesday that they expect work to begin this year.
With the hot topic of “capacity management” – how to relieve school overcrowding – heading toward a decision for short-term action, West Seattle’s new representative on the Seattle Public Schools board, Marty McLaren, has just scheduled three community meetings to talk with anyone interested in this or other district matters:
*Tomorrow, Saturday, January 7th, Southwest Library, 10 am-noon
*Monday, January 9th, at West Seattle Library, 10 am-noon
*Saturday, January 14th, Delridge Library, 11 am-1 pm
As we reported here Wednesday night, McLaren says she will propose an amendment to the district’s short-term capacity-management proposal that would cancel the plan to open the former Louisa May Boren Junior High School on Delridge as an “option” elementary school focused on STEM (science/technology/engineering/math). District officials speaking at the Wednesday board meeting said they did not expect the new school to initially pull enough students to avoid plans for adding portables to the most-crowded elementaries.
After a hiatus, a reopening, and then what was described as a permanent shutdown, the homeless-family-sheltering program Family Promise of Seattle may give it another go. So says board member Lynne Downs, announcing a gathering next Monday night for “former and present Board members, church coordinators, supporters, interested agency personnel and a representative from National Family Promise, Claas Ehlers.”
Lynne explains that she and four other board members, along with many members of local churches that took turns housing/feeding Family Promise clients, “don’t want to see this mission die … we just don’t want to ‘give up the ship’ yet.” The board members, she explains, “have been on a fact-finding quest with interested agencies in perhaps supporting, partnering or even ultimately continuing our program.” And that’s what they’ll talk about at 7 pm Monday, at Tibbetts United Methodist Church (WSB sponsor; 3940 41st SW); anyone interested in supporting the “quest” is welcome.
(Added — photo by Trileigh Tucker) 9:55 AM: Just got that word from Jeff Hogan of Killer Whale Tales – ferry-dock area. We’re off to check; let us know if you see ’em!
11:22 AM: Too far for photos but we were watching for a while with Jeff and with Donna Sandstrom from The Whale Trail, from south of Alki Point. They say it’s J-Pod – including the new baby. (Added – photo by Gary Jones, who thinks the smaller whale was likely the calf)
They were last seen headed back north, but Jeff also mentioned a short time ago that there was a secondhand report of more whales headed this way from the Three Tree Point area, so if you have a water view, keep checking!
(Photo by Gary Jones – note the orca’s fluke, at left) 1:21 PM: We’re adding photos received from WSB’ers who were out watching the whales.
2:22 PM: KING 5‘s aerial video – already linked in the comments – is now embedded above.
As of yesterday, the city-owned facility at 2800 SW Thistle that was Southwest Community Center is officially Southwest Teen Life Center and the future Southwest Neighborhood Service Center.
Four months after the planned change was announced by city leaders during a West Seattle media briefing, the new budget mandating the changeover is officially in effect, so we asked the city about the transition process.
We’ve subsequently learned the dates and plans for closing the Delridge Neighborhood Service Center and opening its replacement at Southwest, and also some things you need to know about what’s NOT changing at the Southwest building:
Tomorrow is the first of three regional public meetings about the future of the Seattle Public Library – from its programs to its funding, with a levy likely to go before voters later this year. Though none of the three meetings will be in West Seattle, library reps want to make sure you know about them and about other chances to have a say, as part of their planning process. For starters, the public meetings are at the Central Library downtown tomorrow, the Beacon Hill branch a week later, and in Ballard on January 18th.(That same night, a library presentation is planned at the Delridge Neighborhoods District Council meeting, 7 pm January 18th at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, public welcome.) Besides the funding issue, SPL wants your thoughts on four aspects of library operations: Hours, books and materials, computers and online resources, and building maintenance. You can comment on any of them, and see the currently proposed options, via this webpage on the SPL site. (Photos, clockwise from top left, are SPL website images of the branches in this area – West Seattle, Delridge, Southwest, High Point)
Tomorrow is the first of three regional public meetings about the future of the 
(That same night, a library presentation is planned at the Delridge Neighborhoods District Council meeting, 7 pm January 18th at
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