day : 28/02/2016 8 results

9:53 PM: Yes, just in case you’re looking for validation, that was thunder. We’ve had a bit of everything today – rain, hail, wind, rainbows (did you see the photos?) – so probably shouldn’t be a surprise. Checking to see if more’s expected.

10:01 PM: Though it wasn’t in the main forecast, we did find a mention in the 9 pm “forecast discussion” from the National Weather Service – “AND WITH SLIGHT INSTABILITY…CANNOT RULE OUT AN ISOLATED LIGHTNING STRIKE.” (The discussion is published in all caps.) So that MIGHT be all.

10:27 PM: And a weather stat:

Total precip since Oct 1 at Sea-Tac thru 10 pm on Feb 28th 37.72". Normal for entire water year Oct. 1 – Sept 30…37.49". #wawx

— NWS Seattle (@NWSSeattle) February 29, 2016

Share This

West Seattle Crime Watch: Shooting investigation

February 28, 2016 8:39 pm

| 6 COMMENTS

| Crime | Puget Ridge | West Seattle news

(WSB photo)

Police were in the 6500 block of 18th SW on Puget Ridge earlier tonight to investigate a shooting. It wasn’t the standard massive fire/police response because the shooting had happened sometime earlier and the victim was no longer at the house. We haven’t been able to obtain details yet, but emergency-radio discussions indicated they were following up on the case of a woman who was dropped off at Harborview Medical Center around 5:30 pm, reported to be suffering from a gunshot wound to the leg, and she has some association with the house where police was following up. We’ll update with anything more we find out, even if it’s not until tomorrow.

Overall, it’s been a busy night for police – two other sizable responses we’ve been asked about include one on 35th and Cloverdale, where police were investigating a report of someone screaming, and found a person having a mental-health crisis, and an investigation at a house near Delridge and 17th, with a report of items being carried out of what was described as a vacant house.

Share This

Megaship CMA CGM Benjamin Franklin off WA coast, due here in 12 hours

February 28, 2016 6:49 pm

| 6 COMMENTS

| Port of Seattle | Seen at sea | West Seattle news

A photo posted by Port of Oakland (@portoakland) on Feb 25, 2016 at 7:35am PST

6:49 PM: That Port of Oakland photo from last week resembles what the view will be at Harbor Island’s Terminal 18 around sunset tomorrow – if the sun cooperates (it might). As mentioned here Thursday, the megaship CMA CGM Benjamin Franklin arrives here tomorrow morning, set to dock at T-18 around 7 am, spending one night here and leaving at 8 am Tuesday. With the capacity of 18,000 containers, it’s the biggest cargo ship to visit the U.S. This size of ship is the reason the Port of Seattle wants to expand Terminal 5. Right now, the Benjamin Franklin is approaching the mouth of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, according to MarineTraffic.com; it’s expected in Port Angeles around 3 am to pick up the Puget Sound Pilots who will guide it into Puget Sound, reports the Peninsula Daily News.

MONDAY MORNING UPDATE, 6:19 AM: The ship is just passing north Kitsap County right now – you can track it here.

Share This

UPDATE: Pole trouble in 4800 block Delridge Way

February 28, 2016 3:13 pm

| 2 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

(Added: WSB photo)

3:13 PM: Thanks for the tips – a utility pole in the ~~4100~~ block of Delridge is apparently leaning far enough over to be a risk, and one tipster says police are blocking off southbound Delridge there. We’re on our way to check it out.

3:16 PM: Update via scanner – Delridge is being blocked both ways, and traffic is being diverted west to 25th.

3:32 PM: Update – this is actually in the 4800 block of Delridge, just south of Edmunds. Adding a photo. If you are heading southbound, you’ll have to turn onto Edmunds; we’re off to check where it’s blocked on the NB side.

3:44 PM: On the northbound side of Delridge, it’s blocked at Hudson. If you detour to 25th or 26th, please go slow – as Tina points out in the comment section, it’s residential (and 26th is a greenway).

5:33 PM: Still closed but City Light is on scene fixing.

6:36 PM: We just went by one more time, and the work is done, road is reopened.

Share This

Dear Package Thieves: 2 West Seattleites have messages for you

February 28, 2016 1:25 pm

| 14 COMMENTS

| Crime | West Seattle news

Hey, package thieves! If you’re reading this … we have messages from two recent targets. First, JL:

I had an USPS package stolen from our stoop Friday afternoon. We are near 34th Ave SW and SW Andover [map]. It was delivered Friday at 3 pm while we were still at work. I didn’t report it until now because I thought there was a possibility that the package was delivered to the wrong address, as the USPS has been having this growing problem with us and our neighbors the past few weeks. But it’s not looking like that’s the case.

The contents weren’t anything very valuable, just a record from a now-defunct local band. If anything, I’m annoyed that it was a record that took me a little while to find, and even more annoyed that we have someone in the neighborhood whose morals are low enough to steal anonymous packages.

To the thief, if you are reading this: Do me a solid and go sell the record to Easy Street Records. They’ll give you about $5 for it. Then they can turn around and sell it to me for $10. I’m happy to pay it, and you’ll be helping stimulate our local economy and support a West Seattle business. It’s a win-win! You get $5 and I get my record. Come on, buddy.

Just as we were about to publish JL’s report, this one came in, from Rusty:

Wednesday afternoon I had 3 packages delivered to my house (close to 41st & SW Rose St.), each containing cast-iron weights, and each weighing approximately 80 lbs. The mailman parked one house away, delivered the packages, then continued to the adjacent block on foot. When he returned to his vehicle, he noticed that someone had attempted to steal one of the boxes, but only made it 1/2 block before giving up and dropping it on the sidewalk (very close to his truck) and partially ripped open. The other 2 boxes were strewn about close to my door, as if they had tried to move each one.

The mailman left a mail theft notice on my door and I figured out that I was missing one box, so on Saturday I went to the post office and was able to retrieve the missing box. I would like to sincerely thank the conscientious mail carrier for being pro-active, and also let the loser who tried to steal my mail know that they might want to get a set of their own, as they are currently too weak and soft to steal them from others.

Got a message for a criminal? Or even just a basic “here’s what happened” report? Send Crime Watch info to us at editor@westseattleblog.com – after you have reported to police, of course. Thanks!

Share This

Were you here for the Nisqually Earthquake, 15 years ago today? New info on getting ready for the next one

February 28, 2016 10:00 am

| 20 COMMENTS

| Preparedness | West Seattle news

15 years ago this morning, at 10:54 am on February 28, 2001, the 6.8-magnitude Nisqually Earthquake hit. Here’s some of what it did in West Seattle.

Nothing anywhere that big has shaken us since. But someday, sometime, one will. So we’re talking today about being ready. This map can help:

The markers on it – 13 of them now – show you the sites of West Seattle Be Prepared‘s 13 Neighborhood Emergency Communication Hubs. Find the one nearest you – and make sure everyone you care about knows about it. (If there’s not one near you, you can help launch one.) If a huge disaster hits, and the usual communication channels are cut off, these are places you can go to find out how to get help, how to offer help, etc., as explained here (and in even more detail here).

Our area was a pioneer in the “hubs” movement, which has expanded to other areas of our city, and is expected to continue growing. They’re for everyone, whether you’ve been here days, weeks, years, or decades – next month, for example, a hub-training event is planned for one of our area’s bigger new apartment complexes, as the hub in The Junction is finalized, and if it’s successful, it will be repeated for other interested apartment communities in the area.

Being ready, ultimately, is personal – have a kit, have a plan. This isn’t something someone will do “for” you. West Seattle Be Prepared is a volunteer community effort. We checked with its organizers to find out what else is new regarding local preparedness, as we mark the quake anniversary today.

This year, WSBP’s Cindi Barker tells us, is about partnerships and getting connected:

*They’re working with local churches about being partners in preparedness and in response in case it’s needed – including how to become a Red Cross shelter

*You’ll see WSBP at spring/summer community festivals as usual – starting with the West Seattle Bee Festival on May 21st and the Morgan Junction Community Festival on June 18th

*In June, WSBP will host a Business Continuity workshop for members of the West Seattle Junction Association, Barker says, “to teach our local businesses what a Business Continuity Plan is, why it’s important and point them to free-ware so they can either do one with us at a follow-up brown-bag event, or so they can do it on their own.”

*Also in June, some of the West Seattle hubs will be part of a major citywide drill on June 11th, “in loose conjunction with the big Cascadia Rising regional exercise” (which is happening June 7-10th, playing out the scenario of a megaquake/tsunami)

*Potential fall event related to what Barker says “is a training program being released this summer for local medical clinics and personnel, to teach them about their important role in the communities during a disaster.” As she says, the bottom line remains, they’ll be needed!

SPEAKING OF BEING NEEDED:

*Are you a ham-radio operator? Know someone who is? The Auxiliary Communication Service needs more in West Seattle to become part of the team. E-mail seattleacs1@gmail.com

*Part of a SNAP (Seattle Neighborhoods Actively Prepare), Block Watch or CERT group? Put yourself on the citywide map to get connected!

SPEAKING OF GETTING CONNECTED:

*Along with the West Seattle Be Prepared website, WSBP has a Facebook group.

P.S. If you didn’t know – there’s an online seismogram at Alki Point; you can check any time for recent quakes around the region by going here.

Share This

West Seattle weather: Sunday rainbows

February 28, 2016 9:05 am

| Comments Off on West Seattle weather: Sunday rainbows

| West Seattle news | West Seattle weather

9:05 AM: Thanks to Paul Panzl on Genesee Hill for the rainbow photo taken moments ago – a rare westward view, as a sunbreak punctuated this morning’s showery weather. Looks as if the mythical “pot of gold at the end of the rainbow” might be a few hundred feet down. Could get windy this morning, the National Weather Service warns, with gusts possibly up to 36 mph.

ADDED: Ron tweeted this photo:

Nice rainbow from West Seattle this morning during a quick break in the rain. @westseattleblog pic.twitter.com/IUMt50DtAD

— Ron Creel (@roncreel) February 28, 2016

ADDED 4:44 PM: And rainbows to the north this afternoon!

That one, showing Luna/Anchor Park, is from Susanna Moore from Niederberger Contracting (WSB sponsor); the one below is from Carol Wagener:

Thanks again for the photos – we also showcase West Seattle images in our daily calendar previews – send your pic to editor@westseattleblog.com (or, if it’s breaking news, text 206-293-6302) – thank you!

Share This

West Seattle Sunday: Giving, playing, sharing …

February 28, 2016 6:57 am

| Comments Off on West Seattle Sunday: Giving, playing, sharing …

| West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

(Seen on Alki this weekend! Photo by Lynn Hall)

From our frequently updated West Seattle Event Calendar, 10 things you can do today/tonight:

FREE WORKOUT: Get moving! Every 4th Sunday, the free “Joyful Fitness: An Introduction to Nia” is offered at the Center for Movement and Healing, as explained here. (7901 35th SW)

WEST SEATTLE FARMERS’ MARKET: 10 am-2 pm in the street in The Junction. Here’s what’s fresh this week! (California SW, between SW Oregon and SW Alaska)

CLEAT/GEAR SWAP DROPOFF: 11 am-5 pm today, it’s the first day you can drop off gently used baseball gear in advance of the first-ever swap event at Second Gear Sports (WSB sponsor), as explained here. (6529 California SW)

JOEY CLAYTON MEMORIAL FUNDRAISER: Noon-3 pm at The Lounge by Duos Catering in Luna Park, come help a family that is dealing with the unimaginable … losing their 8-year-old son to cancer. A donation of any amount at the door is your admission for a gathering with complimentary food and beverages, celebrating Joey Clayton and his family, including his U.S. Marine Corps veteran dad. Here’s the flyer. (2940 SW Avalon Way)

CLOTHES FOR THE CAUSE: Final collection day, 1-3 pm, at the West Seattle YMCA (WSB sponsor), collecting clothes and textiles as a fundraiser for the Y – do some pre-spring cleaning and drop off what you no longer need! Here’s what they’re accepting. (4515 36th SW)

FOLK-ROCK: Live music with Laura Bermes at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor), 3-5 pm. (5612 California SW)

SEATTLE PRIDE BASKETBALL TRYOUTS: It’s tryout time for this local AAU-affiliated youth-basketball program; today, girls in 4th, 5th, 6th grades are invited to try out 1-2:30 pm; girls in 7th and 8th grades 2:30-4 pm; boys in 4th, 5th, 6th grades 4:30-6 pm, boys in 7th and 8th grades 6-8 pm. All tryouts are at the Seattle Lutheran High School gym. More info here, including the registration link. (4100 SW Genesee)

OSCAR NIGHT PARTY AT THE PUB: 5 pm at Prost! West Seattle, including free popcorn and Oscars bingo. (3407 California SW)

NERDCORE HIP-HOP: That’s what you’ll get from Death Star during its 7 pm all-ages show tonight at The Skylark. (3803 Delridge Way SW)

HOLLYWOOD TIME TRAVEL: While some of the world celebrates Hollywood as it is today, you can go to historic Kenyon Hall and explore Hollywood as it was a century ago – silent movies, accompanied by organist and vocalists. 7:30 pm – details here, including how to check (ASAP!) if there’s room. (7904 35th SW)

MORE FOR TODAY, AND BEYOND … check out our complete calendar.

Share This