West Seattle, Washington

19 Friday

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day : 17/11/2015 11 results

UPDATE: One person shot in North Delridge, expected to recover; witnesses tell police they suspect gang involvement
November 17, 2015 11:12 pm
|      18 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | Delridge | West Seattle news

(WSB photo)
ORIGINAL REPORT, 11:12 PM: Police and medics are on the way to an apartment in the 4800 block of Delridge Way SW, where a man is reported to have a gunshot wound to the back. Officers are starting a search for a suspect or suspects last seen northbound on Delridge. Police are blocking Delridge near the scene. Updates to come.

11:34 PM UPDATE: We just arrived near the scene. Before getting here, we heard via scanner that the victim’s wound is not life-threatening, and that there might be multiple suspects who reportedly fired from outside. Delridge is reopening.

12:09 AM: No new information was available at the scene, but we’ll pursue the report in the morning and add whatever more we find.

12:37 PM: We just received the narrative from the official report. With names redacted as is SPD policy, here it is:

(The victim) was over at his friend’s house playing video games.

He went outside with (two people) to try to locate a set of car keys that he may have dropped outside.

(Those two) were on the west side of Delridge while (the victim) was on the east side of the street near (the victim’s) van. All three said that they heard shots and dropped to the ground. All three said that the shooters were three B/Ms [black males], younger, possibly in their twenties, wearing dark clothing.

(One person) said that they came out from behind 48xx Delridge (east side of the street), fired approximately 3 times, then ran off to the north and then back behind the buildings on the east side of Delridge where they were no longer in sight. (Witnesses and victim) retreated back into 48xx (west side) Delridge Way SW #A where they contacted 911 to report the shooting.

When officers arrived (the victim) walked out to Delridge where he was treated by SFD Engine 11 and Medic 32. He was transported to HMC [Harborview Medical Center] for further treatment. (The two others and a third person) all believed that this was a gang-involved shooting. They implied that they knew who had done this. (One) said that he had heard the three shooters on previous occasions yell out (gang name), but all three believed that they were associated with a (different gang). All three witnesses were shaken up and did not want to provide statements at the time of the incident. I advised that detectives would be contacting them and they would be able to tell them what had happened. … Officers were unable to locate suspects or any evidence at the scene.

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West Seattle Crime Watch: Westwood Game Stop robbed
November 17, 2015 9:42 pm
|      7 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | West Seattle news | Westwood

Police are investigating a robbery this past hour at the Game Stop store in Westwood Village, right around closing time. We’re just back from talking with officers and the store clerk, who said the robber tried to pepper spray him, then took a swing at him, and eventually got away with some cash. No medical attention needed; no suspect descriptions. We had just left the West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting, where Southwest Precinct commander Capt. Pierre Davis had mentioned that robberies are a category of crime currently on the upswing citywide – full report to come.

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West Seattle weather: Hail after the wind and rain
November 17, 2015 7:09 pm
|      6 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle weather

7:09 PM: Commenter “Community Member” first mentioned it in comments on our previous storm story – but we could hardly believe it until we saw it in the photo above: Hail/sleet has fallen in various West Seattle spots. We’re checking the forecast to see what’s next.

7:20 PM: More photos – this one is from Steve:

He explains, “It sounded like really heavy rain for the past 10 minutes up here in Admiral (Just East of Schmitz Park). When I let our dog out, the rear deck was covered in some kind of frozen precipitation. You can also see our umbrella that was broken off in the windstorm.”
Video from Mark in High Point:

From Kate in Seaview:

And from Kyle near Ercolini Park:

Closer look at what fell from the sky, tweeted by Amy (as mentioned in comments):

So far as we can tell, this wasn’t forecast, but in this kind of storm, just about anything can happen. Tonight’s low is expected to be in the 40s.

ADDED 8:49 PM: One more photo – texted, so we don’t know who to credit:

Hiawatha Playfield, if you don’t recognize it.

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ELECTION UPDATE: Herbold now 24 votes ahead of Braddock in City Council District 1
November 17, 2015 4:43 pm
|    Comments Off on ELECTION UPDATE: Herbold now 24 votes ahead of Braddock in City Council District 1
 |   West Seattle news

A few more votes have been counted in the Seattle City Council District 1 race, and Lisa Herbold is now 24 votes ahead of Shannon Braddock:

Lisa Herbold – 49.72% – 12,422
Shannon Braddock – 49.63% – 12,398

The full results now show 27,687 ballots counted in this race –

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UPDATE: 1 injured, 1 in custody after incident ends in 16th/Barton crash
November 17, 2015 4:27 pm
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | West Seattle news

4:27 PM: If you passed 16th and Barton this afternoon and noticed a car that crashed into a tree and then into the parking lot south of the Salvation Army Center … no, it wasn’t related to the weather. Or, you might have deduced that, given the heavy police presence:

What actually happened was still being sorted out. But police say the original call came in as a robbery. And they were looking for a weapon.

The original medical call on this was “assault with weapons” but while one person was injured and taken away by private ambulance, no one could confirm for us whether the injuries actually did involve a weapon.

Another person was taken into custody and a tow truck showed up for the red-and-green car. We hope to check back later to see what the story turns out to be.

8:08 PM: We talked with Southwest Precinct commander Capt. Pierre Davis at tonight’s West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting, and he had a little more information: This did start as a robbery – but the suspect and victim had originally arranged to meet “to make an exchange,” in the car. It went awry and turned into a robbery; the alleged robber bolted from the car, and the victim allegedly tried to hit him with the car, and that’s how it all ended up in that parking lot. The person who was injured was not shot or stabbed but someone was believed to have had a gun. Still somewhat convoluted but that provides a little more context.

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West Seattle windstorm updates, p.m. edition: Tree trouble; Beach Drive outage
November 17, 2015 12:55 pm
|      22 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts | West Seattle weather

(MORNING STORM COVERAGE IS HERE, including 2 power outages … ROAD HAZARD? Call 206-386-1218)

12:55 PM: We start our afternoon report with word of two tree-trouble spots:

*The Highland Park Way hill west of W. Marginal Way SW is reported to be closed in both directions because of a downed tree.

*A tree is also reported down at Olson and Myers. Traffic effects unknown; we’re off to check.

1:10 PM: SDOT reports Highland Park Way is open again.

1:32 PM: Just checked out the Myers/Olson situation. Southbound Myers is blocked off at Olson – you can’t turn onto it (photo above shows the roped-off exit lane from eastbound Olson); crews are on the road. Also of note, DEEP water across SW Roxbury at the easternmost entrance to Safeway. Lots of puddling on roads everywhere you go – we’ve been talking mostly about the wind, but the rain has continued, and the ground already was saturated from the recent 4-inches-in-3-days storm.

2:07 PM: While you can use Myers northbound, you can’t turn onto westbound Olson – that’s taped off too.

2:27 PM: The National Weather Service says things should start to get better after another hour or so in the metro area.

2:48 PM: As Katelyn notes in comments, SFD is responding to downed wire(s) at Beach Drive and Canada.

The Seattle City Light map (screengrab above) shows a 79-customer outage nearby. Several people have told us they heard two “booms” just before the power went out. Today’s two other multiple-customer West Seattle outages (in our morning coverage) were resolved relatively quickly.

3:42 PM: That outage is now described as “equipment failure” which would seem to verify the transformer suspicion. Meantime, if you passed a crash scene at 16th/Barton, that wasn’t weather-related – we’re working on a separate story we’ll link here when done (update: it’s here). This next photo, however, does seem to be weather-related:

Keri says that’s near Holy Rosary School.

3:52 PM: Cil says in comments that Myers/Olson is back to normal. (Thanks to everyone for updates as well as initial reports – 206-293-6302 is our text/voice hotline 24/7.)

4:22 PM: On Puget Ridge, Andy says this tree is hanging precariously low over SW Brandon:

6:36 PM: Thanks for the updates. The weather has calmed, as forecast, but still some trouble out there. Our site was down for a while but that was not weather-related – it’s hosted out of the city especially so that it will be safe in case of catastrophe here; the server company just happened to have a massive problem that affected many sites including ours. Meantime, word of more trees toppling at day’s end – one blocking part of Orchard near Delridge, and this one on Webster by the Solstice Park P-Patch (east of Fauntleroy Way):

We’ll likely start a storm-aftermath report in a bit so please keep the updates coming – editor@westseattleblog.com – thank you!

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West Seattle windstorm scene: Side of beef in Sunrise Heights
November 17, 2015 12:38 pm
|      30 COMMENTS
 |   Sunrise Heights | West Seattle news | West Seattle weather

For the second time in a decade, a windstorm has taken its toll on the iconic cow (steer?) atop John’s Corner Deli in Sunrise Heights, via gust-powered cow-tipping. Soon as the folks across the street at West Seattle Autoworks (WSB sponsor) mentioned it, we remembered its disappearance during the 2006 Hanukkah Eve windstorm. So far today, the bovine fixture at 35th/Webster is still in view – just lying down on the job.

3:15 PM UPDATE: @MetPatrick tweeted this photo of The Cow being secured:

Now you won’t have to worry that it will next become, as Craig put it in a comment, “ground beef.”

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West Seattle windstorm updates: 2 major power outages so far, both fixed fast
November 17, 2015 8:41 am
|      91 COMMENTS
 |   Utilities | West Seattle news | West Seattle weather

(SCROLL DOWN for updates … ROAD HAZARD? 206-386-1218 … POWER OUT? 206-684-3000)

(Added: WSB photo, wind-swept waves at Constellation Park)

FIRST POWER OUTAGE REPORT, 8:41 AM: Thanks to those who texted – the power’s out for more than 4,800 homes and businesses:

Seattle City Light‘s map says the cause is under investigation. While you’ll see “estimated restoration” times there, PLEASE remember that those are only guesstimates and almost always, the actual time is something completely different – could be much earlier or much later.

9 AM: Commenters report Alki Elementary and Pathfinder K-8 are without power. We are checking with Seattle Public Schools.

9:17 AM: About a third of those who lost power have it back – thanks to Tony in Seaview for first word on that.

9:20 AM: Our crew just stopped by Alki Elementary. Aside from the lack of electricity, it’s “business as usual,” and classes continue.

9:40 AM: City Light says a tree is to blame for the outage. Don’t know exactly where. Meantime, thanks for the texted photo of this tree down by Sanislo Elementary:

The texter says it’s *not* blocking the road. Sanislo DOES have power. Alki and Pathfinder remain the only schools that lost power, but district spokesperson Stacy Howard tells WSB that they have enough natural light to keep classes going.

9:52 AM: Photojournalist Erika Schultz says Pathfinder’s back on – it was a pocket outage all along, on Pigeon Point:

10:06 AM: Thanks for the texts and comments about more power restoration – Alki, Beach Drive, Genesee Hill. Waiting for City Light map to update. (1 minute later) Looks like everyone’s back on – if you’re NOT, please be sure to call SCL – 206-684-3000.

SECOND POWER OUTAGE, 10:17 AM: Almost immediately after that outage was resolved, a new one has hit – Puget Ridge, Riverside, points south, 2,100+ customers per City Light map:

10:25 AM: Just got a texted report of wires down on Beach Drive near Cormorant Cove Park (3700 block).

11:02 AM: Thanks for the updates – the SCL map verifies that the SECOND outage is now over, in less than an hour. That includes Sanislo. Again, if you are still without power somewhere, please call to be sure SCL knows – there might be pocket outages here and there.

11:26 AM: While the power’s back for all except a spot here and there (here’s the “live” map), the storm is still going full strength – we’ve just been down and around a few spots including Constellation Park south of Alki Point, adding photo (top).

11:57 AM: We’ll be launching an afternoon edition of storm coverage soon. Meantime, latest trouble spot we’ve heard about is south of West Seattle – trees down on the north lanes of 1st Avenue South near 116th, in Top Hat.

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West Seattle Tuesday: Crime Prevention Council; Junction Neighborhood Organization…
November 17, 2015 8:39 am
|    Comments Off on West Seattle Tuesday: Crime Prevention Council; Junction Neighborhood Organization…
 |   West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

Getting this out before we launch into storm coverage – what’s ahead tonight (when the winds should have passed).

First, from the WSB West Seattle Holiday Guide:

WHAT TO DO WITH THANKSGIVING LEFTOVERS: 6-8 pm, cooking class at Salty’s on Alki (WSB sponsor). Check ASAP to see if there’s any room left – find the info here. (1936 Harbor SW)

From our regular year-round calendar:

JUNCTION NEIGHBORHOOD ORGANIZATION: Live and/or work in or near The Junction? 6:30 pm at the Sisson Building (Senior Center), you’re invited. From JuNO leader René Commons:

Our agenda at this meeting will be very informal. We will have a discussion of neighborhood initiatives and plan what JuNO will be doing next year. It’s not as dull as it sounds — we are making plans for the New Year: 2016! Top of the agenda is the volunteer effort/plan for community contacts for the Emergency Hub.

Thank you to all of you that have been actively involved and supporting of JuNO in 2015 and these past few years since our 2013 relaunch! We couldn’t have done it without you!! JuNO can continue to grow with a little help from more passionate community minded people like you. … If you are interested in taking a leading role or small role in West Seattle JuNO please plan to attend or send an email. JuNO is our West Seattle Junction’s non-profit community council. JuNo is made up of neighborhood volunteers passionate about making our West Seattle Junction neighborhood the best it can be. Many of us work full time and lead busy lives with family and other community work. JuNO meetings are once a month. JuNO is scouting for volunteers with creative ideas to organize activities and get the word out on social media! 2016 could be your year to launch that neighborhood event or improvement you have been thinking about!

(California SW & SW Oregon)

HOPE LUTHERAN SCHOOL OPEN HOUSE: 6:30-8 pm, all-school open house at Hope Lutheran, which serves preschool through 8th grade. More info in our calendar listing. (42nd SW & SW Oregon)

WEST SEATTLE CRIME PREVENTION COUNCIL: 7 pm at the Southwest Precinct, come find out about crime trends, bring your neighborhood concerns, and hear from the schedules special guest, the chief of Metro Transit Police. (2300 SW Webster)

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TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Stormy Tuesday updates and alerts
November 17, 2015 7:11 am
|      21 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

(Five WS-relevant views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
7:11 AM: Sorry about the lack of camera views for the high bridge – you might recall that SDOT was replacing them last weekend, and this morning, neither is working. So far, though, while the wind has kicked up as expected, no major problems in or from West Seattle.

7:51 AM: Still nothing out of the ordinary around here – all the trouble this morning has been on the Eastside. Weather-wise, we haven’t hit the peak period yet – the National Weather Service has shifted the “High Wind Warning” to 8 am-6 pm, with strongest gusts expected to start around 10.

8:50 AM: First power outage of the storm, and it’s a big one, more than 4,800 customers. We’ve launched a separate storm report, starting with the outage – find it here. And if there’s storm trouble in your neighborhood – trees down, etc. – please let us know at 206-293-6302 (text or voice).

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West Seattle Crime Watch: Car prowlers still busy
November 17, 2015 6:52 am
|      17 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | West Seattle news

We’ve heard a lot about car prowls in West Seattle Crime Watch lately, and we’ve heard from three more readers. First, from Justina, a Westwood break-in:

(Monday) around 3 p.m. I arrived at Target and saw a group of people in a car watching me. I didn’t think much of it, at first it seemed like a group of friends. I came out of Target 30 minutes later to see the window of my driver’s door completely shattered. The thief/thieves opened my trunk to steal my backpack along with my younger sister’s. I contacted SPD and soon there was another man who also had his car broken into.

Target’s security believes that there was a group of people who were all stealing from cars in the parking lot (Monday). One woman got arrested, but none of her possible accomplices came back. I just want people to be aware that these things do happen in broad daylight, even if you think you’re safe by putting your belongings in your trunk. I never thought that this would happen to me because I keep nothing of importance in my car. I always put my backpack in my trunk so no one can see it through my windows. But still, the thieves took my 10 year-old hand-me-down backpack full of homework and school supplies. Please be aware of your surroundings and stand up for what is right.

From Karna in Gatewood:

Would like to report a car prowl on the 7000 block of 42nd Ave near Myrtle. (Sunday) night between 12:00 am – 6:00 am, our car was “unlocked” and was clearly rifled, sunglasses taken and the entire “ashtray” which may have had $.75 and some old chap stick. Will be calling the police to report and request additional patrols on our block…I don’t smoke but would love to have my ashtray and shades back…and hope someone enjoys my shades…they were my favorite. In light of what’s going on in Paris and many parts of the world, this is really no big deal and we must all count our blessings…hope these thieves needed the money and were not just being vandals.

We also have a general neighborhood alert from the 44th/Dawson area southwest of The Junction, at least four recent car prowls and an attempted purse snatch a bit further south, near 44th/Brandon. No specifics on these so far but a general FYI.

CRIME PREVENTION COUNCIL TONIGHT: 7 pm tonight (Tuesday), the West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meets, with a briefing on local crime trends, a chance to bring up neighborhood concerns, and a scheduled guest appearance from Metro Transit Police leadership. Southwest Precinct meeting room (2300 SW Webster) – all welcome.

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