day : 17/08/2015 9 results

West Seattle scene: Another sunset sky full of beauty

August 17, 2015 9:27 pm

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| West Seattle news | West Seattle weather

Thanks to James Bratsanos for sharing tonight’s sunset view … still a month-plus of summer nights left, even as the sun makes its exit a little earlier each evening, already almost an hour earlier (8:18 pm tonight) than the latest summer sunset (9:11 pm on July 1st).

P.S. Check the sunset/sunrise and moonset/moonrise times on the WSB West Seattle Weather page, any time.

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Highway 99 tunnel machine: WSDOT’s contractor starts ‘reconnecting’ its biggest pieces

August 17, 2015 8:13 pm

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| Alaskan Way Viaduct | West Seattle news

(Late-afternoon screengrab from WSDOT webcam)

Five months after parts of the Highway 99 tunnel machine were lifted out of its “access pit” along the Alaskan Way Viaduct, the state says its contractor reports they’re getting close to putting the repaired parts back in. From WSDOT’s update today:

Seattle Tunnel Partners has begun reconnecting the two largest pieces of the SR 99 tunneling machine’s front end. On Saturday, Aug. 15, crane crews from Mammoet lifted the machine’s bearing block into place atop the cutterhead and drive unit. The newly reconnected front end of the machine will remain at the surface while Hitachi Zosen installs its motors. When installation of the motors is complete, Mammoet will lower the 2,000-ton piece back into the pit. … STP’s most recent schedule indicated the lowering of pieces would begin in early August, but some parts had to be remanufactured due to tight tolerances – measured in millimeters – that need to be met as the machine is reassembled. Those new parts have since arrived and been successfully installed. … Once the machine is in the pit, crews will begin the lengthy task of reconnecting wires, hoses and other parts to the portion of the machine that remains in the ground. A series of tests will follow to ensure the machine is ready to resume mining.

So far, WSDOT says, its contractor still “has a plan in place to resume tunneling in late November as scheduled,” but it notes that it “cannot verify the contractor’s schedule.”

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BIZNOTE: Chipotle sets West Seattle Junction opening date

August 17, 2015 4:25 pm

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| West Seattle news | West Seattle restaurants

When last we checked with Chipotle to see if its West Seattle Junction opening date was set yet, the company was aiming for late August. After three people sent notes today asking for an update, we first checked the 4730 California SW storefront – it looks nearly done; the menu’s even up. So we contacted the Chipotle media team, who say it’s opening September 10th. Hours: 11 am to 10 pm daily.

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FOLLOWUP: Duane Atwood pleads guilty, sentenced in indecent-exposure case

August 17, 2015 3:26 pm

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| Crime | West Seattle news

One year after 38-year-old Admiral resident Duane Atwood‘s arrest, he has pleaded guilty and been sentenced in one of the two cases against him – indecent exposure and failure to register as a sex offender. Making a periodic check of the files, we discovered Atwood was sentenced last Friday. He pleaded guilty in connection with an incident in July of last year on Beach Drive near Cormorant Cove Park, in which he called out a question to a woman who was walking by his vehicle, then exposed himself when she approached to reply. The victim got his license-plate number, which eventually led investigators to Atwood. They subsequently discovered he had moved back to the area four years earlier without re-registering as a sex offender as he was required to do because of a 2000 conviction in another West Seattle case, an arson/burglary incident found to have been committed with sexual motivation.

Last Friday, Superior Court Judge Judith Ramseyer sentenced Atwood to one year for the indecent exposure/failure-to-register case, as recommended by the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. Though he has already been in jail longer than that, he remains there because of an unrelated charge filed five months after his indecent-exposure arrest. We reported on that case last December, when he was charged with felony harassment, accused of repeatedly calling an acquaintance in the middle of the night in 2012 and 2013, progressing from sexual innuendo to threats of rape and murder. The online court docket says he was scheduled for trial in that case later this month, but the date’s been postponed to October.

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West Seattle scene: Downed tree at Lincoln Park, post-storm

August 17, 2015 1:12 pm

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| West Seattle news | West Seattle parks

Thanks to Barbara for the photo from the north-side beach at Lincoln Park – part of a big tree, apparently downed during last Friday’s storm.

She observes, “Must have been a mighty roar going down.” The final official rainfall total for Friday afternoon, by the way, was 1.2 inches.

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West Seattle schools: Why students are at many elementaries today

August 17, 2015 12:01 pm

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| West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

The first day of classes for Seattle Public Schools is still weeks away, but hundreds of students are on site this week at many schools in West Seattle, for Kindergarten Jump Start. It’s a voluntary “weeklong experience for new kindergarteners and their families to learn about their new school.” Most participating schools will have half-day sessions all week, 9 am-noon. According to the district flyer, schools participating in our area are Alki, Arbor Heights (at Boren), Concord, Fairmount Park, Gatewood, Highland Park, Lafayette, Pathfinder, Roxhill, and Sanislo.

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West Seattle Crime Watch: Another stolen van; more stolen patio furniture; stolen boat

August 17, 2015 11:18 am

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| Crime | West Seattle news

Two West Seattle Crime Watch reader reports this morning:

ANOTHER STOLEN VAN: Both vans stolen last week and reported here were spotted and returned to their owners; maybe you’ll be the one to find the van taken from Staci‘s home:

Our gray 2004 Toyota Sienna was stolen last night from the street in front of our house, 21st & Roxbury, between the hours of 12:00 am – 8:00 am. License plate 660 XPY.

If you see it, call 911.

MORE STOLEN PATIO FURNITURE: From a Highland Park resident:

My Pier 1 Bird cage hanging chair with a beautiful flower woven into the back was stolen with the turquoise cushion attached last night around midnight. My dogs barked and they chased something that I thought was a raccoon. It must have been the people stealing the chair. It was out of view and I didn’t check around because I thought they were chasing an animal and called them back in. My house is on the 9000 block of 13th Ave SW.

That’s the second stolen-patio-furniture report we’ve published in recent days. Meantime, as we finished this, we just got word of this theft:

STOLEN BOAT: From Marlo:

*Stolen boat out of Jack Block Park.*

We last used it three weeks ago. It’s a 22-foot Four Winds. We were headed out today to volunteer our boat for a family camp in Olympia to give tubbing rides to the kids when my husband noticed it was not there.

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West Seattle Monday: Highland Park Elementary ‘town hall’; library updates; more

August 17, 2015 9:00 am

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| West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

(Cedar waxwing, photographed Friday before the rain by Mark Wangerin)

Happy Monday! From the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar, and time-sensitive reminders:

WEST SEATTLE (ADMIRAL) LIBRARY CLOSURE: The 2-week closure at Seattle Public Library‘s West Seattle (Admiral) branch starts today, as the exterior accessibility improvements move to front-steps replacement. If that’s your regular branch, here’s what you can do in the meantime. (2306 42nd SW)

DEADLINE FOR JUNCTION PLAZA PARK ART PROJECT: Artists’ responses with qualifications are due today. Details in our original report.

PLAY GAMES! On today’s calendar at Meeples Games (new WSB sponsor) – “My Little Pony Academy 101” at 4 pm, “Android: Netrunner League” at 6:30 pm, and more. (3727 California SW, upstairs)

AFTERNOON BOOK GROUP: 2 pm today, check out this month’s afternoon book group at Southwest Library. They’ll be reading “Short Nights of the Shadow Catcher” by Timothy Egan. (35th SW & Henderson)

WSHS ATHLETE/PARENT MEETINGS FOR FALL SPORTS: First one is today, for football and girls’ swimming, 6 pm. If you missed the reminder we published earlier this month about all the meetings, here’s the full slate. (3000 California SW)

HIGHLAND PARK ELEMENTARY TOWN HALL: One year after a community conversation about how to lift up Highland Park Elementary whether you’re part of the school community or not, a “town hall” is scheduled tonight (here’s our preview from two weeks ago) to see how things are going. All welcome. 6:30 pm at the school library. (1012 SW Trenton)

FAMILY STORY TIME: 6:30 pm at High Point Library – bring kids of all ages. (35th SW & Raymond)

‘AFTER HOURS’ FINALE: The last episode in the cabaret-style series with ArtsWest artistic director Mathew Wright and “Seattle’s leading ladies” is tonight, 7:30 pm, this time featuring Katherine Strohmaier – check here for ticket availability. (4711 California SW)

QUIZ NIGHT: 7:30 pm at The Skylark – free, with cash prizes. (3803 Delridge Way SW)

SEE THE FUTURE: Preview tomorrow, the rest of the week, next week, next month, beyond … here.

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TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Monday updates & alerts; 14th Ave. S. in South Park reopens after fire response

August 17, 2015 6:29 am

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| South Park | West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

(Four WS-relevant views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
Good morning! No West Seattle incidents right now, but if you use 14th Avenue S. in the South Park area, note that a house-fire response TheSouthParkNews.com coverage here is blocking at least part of the road, just south of the SP Bridge, between Cloverdale and Director.

ROAD WORK ALERTS FOR TODAY: As announced last week, the Seattle Public Utilities project near Westwood has repaving work scheduled starting today, to “pave 22nd Avenue SW between SW Barton Place and SW Barton Street on August 17-18, from 7:30 am until as late as 6 pm. This work will require intermittent lane restrictions on SW Barton Place where it intersects 22nd Avenue SW, and on SW Barton Street between 21st Avenue SW and 23rd Avenue SW.” SPU’s paving work on Orchard east of Delridge also is scheduled to continue today, with “closure of the westbound lane on SW Orchard Street (east of Delridge Way SW) between 7:30 am and 4 pm.”

6:45 AM: The closure zone in South Park has extended south to Concord to give vehicles more room to turn around, per scanner traffic.

LOOKING AHEAD – TWO CLOSURES TO REMEMBER: Highway 99 will be closed both ways from the Battery Street Tunnel north to Valley St. in lower Queen Anne next weekend, Friday night (August 21) to early Monday (August 24) – details and maps here. Also, Alki/Harbor Avenues will be closed for a few hours next Sunday morning (August 23) for the Alki Beach 5K.

7:27 AM: 14th Avenue S. has reopened in South Park. SFD is still at the fire scene but has moved off the arterial.

8:32 AM: Quiet commute so far, otherwise. We continue to monitor via a variety of sources – your tips are much appreciated (if on the road, of course, wait until you get where you’re going, unless you’re a passenger) – that’s how we first heard about this morning’s South Park fire, for example: 206-293-6302 is our 24/7 hotline, text or voice, for whatever’s happening *now*. Thank you!

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