day : 08/01/2015 11 results

Department of Neighborhoods leader faces West Seattle neighborhood leaders @ Southwest District Council

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

It’s not the Department of Neighborhoods‘ job to get more people to apply for its matching-funds grants, its director told West Seattle neighborhood leaders Tuesday night.

But DoN director Bernie Matsuno acknowledged that a “conversation” is needed before her department tries again to make changes to the rules for who can seek the funds and the process for vetting them.

Her appearance before the Southwest District Council – with Delridge District Council members in attendance too – came shortly after a round of proposed changes was widely panned by leaders in both of West Seattle’s city-drawn “districts,” and subsequently shelved.

She faced questions about that as well as other issues, including her own status in city government, not yet reconfirmed by the full City Council despite Mayor Murray’s voiced intention a year ago to keep her on.

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West Seattle Crime Watch followup: $50,000 bail set for store-stabbing suspect

January 8, 2015 7:57 pm

| 6 COMMENTS

| Crime | High Point | West Seattle news

The 52-year-old woman arrested after last night’s stabbing outside the 35th/Morgan minimart remains in jail, with bail set today at $50,000. According to the probable-cause documents, obtained latelate today from the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, Police were first called to the store for a report of a fight between two women, with about 10 people watching. The call quickly changed to a report that one had stabbed the other.

When police arrived, they found the suspect inside the store and arrested her with their weapons drawn at “low ready.” She didn’t have the knife in her possession but officers found one in a trash can. The suspect, who lives about half a mile from the store, claimed the victim had “been after (her) for weeks” and was the aggressor. Four witnesses told police they saw the suspect attack the victim, whose age is not mentioned in the report; the report says officers smelled alcohol on the suspect’s “breath and person.” They talked to the victim while medics were treating her for a small, shallow chest wound. She is described as working at West Seattle Food Bank across the street from the store and having “ongoing issues” with the suspect, who is due back in court on Monday, by which time prosecutors should have made an initial decision on charging her. The King County Jail Register says she spent three days in jail right before Thanksgiving for investigation of assault.

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High-school basketball: West Seattle HS girls’ strong January start

January 8, 2015 6:24 pm

| 1 COMMENT

| West Seattle news | West Seattle schools | WS & Sports

Another win last night for the West Seattle High School girls-varsity basketball team, 61-46 over visiting Holy Names Academy (here’s what our partners at The Seattle Times wrote). And that’s not the only news as their strong season continues. Head Coach Sonya Elliott tells us they finished third at the recent MaxPreps Holiday Tournament in Palm Springs, with Lydia Giomi and Lexi Ioane chosen for the All-Tournament Team; the two also led their team last night, with 20 points and 9 rebounds for Giomi, 13 points and 10 rebounds for Ioane, who also was featured recently as a KING 5 Western Washington Girls Basketball Performer of the Week.

UP NEXT: The WSHS girls are on the road Friday night at Eastside Catholic; your next chance to cheer for them at home is Wednesday (January 14th) at 7:30 pm, vs. visiting Cleveland.

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West Seattle Bridge traffic alert: Eastbound crash

January 8, 2015 5:48 pm

| 1 COMMENT

| West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

In case you’re heading eastbound sometime soon – be aware there’s a two-vehicle crash on the West Seattle Bridge near the 4th Avenue exit, apparently causing some backups. Police and fire are on it now; injuries are reported. Thanks to the person who just called from a passenger seat to let us know (206-293-6302, text or voice, any time, if you’re not driving!).

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Happening tonight: First West Seattle Art Walk of 2015!

January 8, 2015 4:00 pm

| 5 COMMENTS

| West Seattle Art Walk | West Seattle news

Every quarter, the West Seattle Art Walk changes up its poster art and venue list – some new, some continuing – and so, with two hours until this month’s WSAW begins, we present the new versions of both.

So which artists will you see when you go out to tonight’s Art Walk, 6-9 pm? Check out the previews on the official website, where you’ll also find the full-size venue list. (And if you’re looking for what else is up tonight, check our calendar.)

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Speaking of pits: Hwy. 99 tunnel-machine-access digging resumes

January 8, 2015 3:30 pm

| 7 COMMENTS

| Alaskan Way Viaduct | West Seattle news

For the first time in more than two weeks, we have an official update on Seattle’s most closely watched pit – the one intended to reach the Highway 99 tunnel machine, so its cutterhead can be retrieved and repaired. WSDOT published the update this afternoon, saying that its contractor Seattle Tunnel Partners resumed digging today, and that: “Settlement levels near the pit have remained stable for more than six weeks.” The pit is 3/4 of the way to the 120-feet depth at which STP says it will pour a platform for the front of the machine to rest on, after it is turned back on to advance a short distance into the pit. Timeline? Nothing new yet, says WSDOT; you might recall, the most recent ballpark-guess tunnel-opening date was August 2017.

P.S. Reminder that seawall-and-tunnel-related work downtown will result in access changes at Colman Dock and Water Taxi Pier 50 starting tomorrow.

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West Seattle scene: Lowman Beach pit pour, phase 2

January 8, 2015 2:58 pm

| 1 COMMENT

| Environment | West Seattle news

2:58 PM: Once the sun came out, we went over to the Murray Combined Sewer Overflow Control Project across from Lowman Beach for a look into the million-gallon storage-tank pit, during the second phase of big concrete pours. We’re checking with the county to see if they’ve set a second pour date yet, since this is a postponement from last month, and the second date also was originally in December. (If you’d like a slightly wider, though lower-resolution, view of today’s work in the pit, we have one on Instagram.)

5:06 PM UPDATE: Doug Marsano from King County says that while no date is firmed up yet, “the contractor wants to pour early next week.” So we won’t know any sooner than tomorrow (if not later) when the next big pour will be.

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Update: Police search after Alki-area burglary, suspect in custody

January 8, 2015 1:12 pm

| 11 COMMENTS

| Crime | West Seattle news | West Seattle police

(Added: Photo courtesy Patrick C)
1:12 PM: Getting calls and texts about a big police search near 63rd/Admiral in the Alki area. We just called SPD media relations to ask about it and here’s what they told us: An apartment in the 6000 block of SW Stevens was broken into, and a citizen was following a suspect. Police have converged on the area, including a K-9 team. The suspect was last seen running around the area but hasn’t yet been caught, though police are reported to have found some items that might have been among the loot. The only description they have so far is a Hispanic man around 20 years old, unshaven, with a white baseball cap and black ponytail, puffy jacket (though he might have ditched it), and black pants.

(Photo courtesy Sarahjean)
1:14 PM UPDATE: Literally two minutes after we published this, police took a suspect into custody in the 6200 block of SW Admiral Way, according to scanner discussion.

ADDED: One more postscript – a reader report that the SW Stevens burglary was preceded by mail/package thefts on 55th SW, with the suspect caught on camera:

The reader who provided the screen grab from surveillance video says, “He got a fanny pack, burgundy leggings, a Paris tank top, protein powder & women’s multivitamins” – and the items were recovered. The police, meantime, got the video.

FRIDAY AFTERNOON NOTE: We hope to write a separate followup later, but in the meantime, a bail hearing for the suspect, who is 32 years old, was held this afternoon. Bail was set at $20,000. He has a record – and had a warrant out for his arrest. The case has also landed on SPD Blotter.

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Followup: Arbor Heights appeal hearing date pushed back

January 8, 2015 10:30 am

| 4 COMMENTS

| Arbor Heights | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

(Added 1 pm: Site work continuing at Arbor Heights today)
Quick note from today’s Land Use Information Bulletin: The hearing date for the third Arbor Heights Elementary appeal has been pushed back, “due to a problem with the notice.” Today’s notice says the Hearing Examiner will hear it February 2nd. As first reported here last month, this appeal involves issues including zoning exceptions and the fate of two trees. The construction was already scheduled as a two-phase project, resuming this spring.

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Update: Woman found dead in the water off Beach Drive SW; police are not investigating as a homicide, so far

January 8, 2015 6:52 am

| 50 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | WS breaking news

(UPDATED 11:20 am with video of SPD media briefing at the scene)

(Photo tweeted by Aloysha)
6:52 AM: Fire and police are headed for Beach Drive SW and Oregon, for a report of someone in the water, possibly face down, about 20 feet offshore.

7 AM: By all accounts (via scanner), this is confirmed to be a body, brought ashore, and most of the rescue response has been canceled.

7:06 AM: First evaluation is that this is a woman around 50 years old, per scanner. The Medical Examiner is on the way. Our crew should be arriving shortly to find out more.

(WSB photo: Police have taped off the scene)
7:15 AM: At the scene, we’ve learned the body was spotted by two people out for a walk. Police are declining comment, referring us to the media-relations unit. This all happened near the stairway that goes from the sidewalk down to the lower part of Emma Schmitz Overlook, across from Me-Kwa-Mooks Park.

7:35 AM: An SPD spokesperson is apparently headed to the scene to talk with us and the TV crews that have arrived. As already noted in comments, if you’ve been here since at least 2012, you probably immediately recall the unsolved murder of 53-year-old Greggette Guy; her body was found in the water about half a mile north in March 2012, her car was found near where all this is unfolding today. But again, there’s NO information yet on how the woman found this morning died. We’ll update as soon as police have an official statement.

(WSB photo: King County Medical Examiner crew arrives)
8:24 AM: SPD spokesperson Sgt. Sean Whitcomb has briefed us. This is NOT currently being investigated as a homicide and is (corrected) NOT considered a “suspicious death”; so SPD is investigating with the Medical Examiner, which has a crew on scene. The woman is believed to be in her 50s but that is just a guess so far – apparently no ID on her; they will be checking missing-persons records to try to find out who she is. Police are likely to be at the scene another hour or so, but the woman’s body will be taken away by the ME shortly.

11:20 AM: Above this line, we have added the video of Sgt. Whitcomb’s briefing, in its entirety. Questions were asked by the four crews who were there – ours, and three of the four local TV-news organizations. SPD Blotter has just published a post about this, but there’s no new information.

ADDED FRIDAY, 5:29 PM: The King County Medical Examiner’s Office identifies the woman found off Emma Schmitz Overlook as 69-year-old Carolyn Arnold. According to the KCME’s afternoon media-hotline recording (a daily list of cases they investigate), the cause of Ms. Arnold’s death has not yet been determined, pending toxicology tests (which can take weeks).

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TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Thursday updates

January 8, 2015 6:51 am

| Comments Off on TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Thursday updates

| West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

(WS high/low bridges and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
So far no major problems reported. We’re about to separately report on a rescue response on Beach Drive SW.

7:45 AM: Our ongoing coverage of that situation is here; SFD cleared the scene quickly but you’ll still see police and now the Medical Examiner.

TRANSPORTATION NEWS: Last night, West Seattle Bike Connections reported on SDOT’s presentation to the Bicycle Advisory Board regarding options for the notorious 5-way intersection west of the low bridge … Avoid the south end of Beach Drive today – the next concrete pour for the Murray CSO storage tank will bring dozens of trucks throughout the day … Road-restoration work by the Barton Pump Station next to the Fauntleroy ferry dock is planned next week.

8:48 AM: Police and fire are checking out a reported two-vehicle crash at 30th/Thistle, which is just west of the Sealth/Denny school zone. (Update: A texter says it’s blocking traffic; in case you were wondering, classes have already started at both schools.)

9:26 AM: Just back from the crash scene. It’s been cleared. No serious injuries.

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