day : 07/05/2016 10 results

11:36 PM: In the past half-hour, we’ve heard by text and by comment from people who heard gunfire in the North Delridge vicinity. Via scanner, we’ve just heard confirmation that police found shell casings, near Delridge and Genesee. No injuries reported; they’re talking with someone at the scene who might have been involved.

11:53 PM: Still from the scanner – the person was reported by a passerby to have been seen “reloading”; he’s being taken into custody.

West Seattle skywatching: Aurora alert, after super sunset

May 7, 2016 10:59 pm

| 3 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle weather

Two skywatching notes tonight:

AURORA ALERT: Via Twitter, Alice Enevoldsen (of Alice’s Astro Info and periodic Skies Over West Seattle reports among many other things) called our attention to an aurora alert for this area – and shortly thereafter, the National Weather Service tweeted this photo from Whidbey Island:

Skunk Bay Weather camera up by Admiralty Inlet is picking up both green and purple #aurora right now. #wawx pic.twitter.com/3uQQsmMzN2

— NWS Seattle (@NWSSeattle) May 8, 2016

Moments ago, Alice said the aurora-suggesting numbers are still rising, which is good news for possible sightings here. She has standard advice for aurora viewing – read it here.

SUPER SUNSET: A cloudbank over the mountaintop/island-top horizon glowed with a pink edge for a long time after tonight’s sunset. Not long before that, James Bratsanos got this two-part view:

P.S. Today’s high temperature set a record for this date, 82; previous record was 81 in 1987.

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330 sales, mapped! Countdown to West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day 2016

May 7, 2016 8:14 pm

| Comments Off on 330 sales, mapped! Countdown to West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day 2016

| Community Garage Sale Day | West Seattle news

Next Saturday is THE day – West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day 2016, 9 am-3 pm May 14th! And we’ve finished mapping the 330 sales that are signed up – sales of all sizes, all over West Seattle, all sorts of stuff on sale – so you can start planning.

The map’s been linked from the official WSCGSD site for a few hours, as well as from the navigation bar here on WSB, and now that this unexpectedly busy news day has calmed down, we’re announcing it here too – find the clickable online version here, with the printable/downloadable version to follow.

The map page includes info on how to use it, if you’re a WSCGSD first-timer (it’s the same software we’ve used for the map for a few years now), but we also are happy to answer questions – e-mail our special WSCGSD mailbox, garagesale@westseattleblog.com.

A few more notes:

INFO FOR SELLERS: The e-mail and postal-mail “packets” are headed out tomorrow. Speaking of postal mail …

STAMP OUT HUNGER: Every year, since WSCGSD is on the second Saturday in May, it’s also the same day as the USPS letter carriers’ annual door-to-door, mailbox-to-mailbox food drive Stamp Out Hunger. You might even have received a special bag in your mailbox this past week. But you can use any bag to put out food for letter carriers to pick up on May 14th, so please consider doing that before you head out to sell or shop.

BOOK AND TEXTILE DRIVES: WSCGSD is always a big day of giving as well as buying and selling. Along with giving by shopping benefit sales, this year’s donation opportunities (for leftovers and/or items bought specifically to donate) include a book drive and textile drive benefiting students – look for details on those by the start of the week.

More previews to come – but again, the big thing right now is the map, which includes sale descriptions, and you’ll find it here.

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Next phase of Morgan Junction sidewalk work to start next week

May 7, 2016 7:05 pm

| 3 COMMENTS

| Neighborhoods | Safety | West Seattle news

Thanks to Morgan Community Association president Deb Barker for forwarding the SDOT alert: The next phase of sidewalk work along the west side of California SW, south of Fauntleroy Way, is set to start next week.

The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) will replace broken and uplifted sections of sidewalk on the west side of California Ave SW in front of Ivy Court Apartments and the Marnae Apartments in the middle of this block.

This project is immediately south of the sidewalk that SDOT replaced in 2015.

SDOT does not currently plan to remove the seven street trees here.

After the sidewalk is removed and tree roots are examined, SDOT Urban Forestry staff will examine the tree roots and determine if the roots can be pruned or if one or more trees need to be removed.

After the jump, full details on construction hours and temporary effects in the area:

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UPDATE: Police searching for possibly armed men who crashed stolen car into wall at The Mount

May 7, 2016 4:03 pm

| 45 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | WS breaking news

(WSB photos unless otherwise attributed)

4:03 PM: SPD units are converging on 35th/Hudson [map], near Providence Mount St. Vincent, where two men are reported to have run from a crashed car. One, according to scanner traffic, might have a gun. The car was reported to have been speeding up to 80 mph before crashing; Seattle Fire is now being sent to the crash scene. More to come.

4:06 PM: Per scanner, the vehicle is believed to have been stolen in a robbery, “with the gun.” 35th might be closed, at least partially, because of the search.

4:15 PM: No word of arrest(s) yet – if you are in that area and see/hear anything/anyone suspicious, call 911.

4:25 PM: Our crew has arrived in the area and we’ve added photos, including the crashed car, which went into the wall on the east side of The Mount’s campus. Police and fire are talking with/checking on someone who might be a third person who was in the car and did not flee.

Part of southbound 35th is taped off at the crime scene – again, avoid 35th in that area.

4:32 PM: Police confirm the third person from the vehicle, a woman, didn’t flee. Our crew says she seemed extremely dazed. (Added) They also say she was clearly injured, and was taken to the hospital by private ambulance:

Police also tell us the vehicle first came to an officer’s attention because its driver was driving “erratically”; when an attempt was made to pull the driver over, he sped up, then crashed. (We heard this via scanner as it started to unfold, and the officer pursued on foot before backup arrived. The suspects were reported to have split up, one heading east toward Rotary Viewpoint Park at 35th/Alaska, one west toward The Mount’s campus.)

(Reader photo, texted – thank you!)

5:04 PM: Still searching, off both sides of 35th. We still don’t know where the robbery/carjacking happened.

6:05 PM: Just a note since it’s been an hour … no additional information yet. The crashed car was being taken to the SPD evidence facility in SODO. Meantime, police at the scene said they couldn’t comment but that media relations would at some point tonight have an update.

6:17 PM: Our photographer brought back a photo that clearly shows the car’s make and plate.

That enabled us to discover via SPD’s @getyourcarback stolen-car tweets that it was reported stolen two days ago. From where, we don’t know (the tweets don’t include locations or incident numbers), but that will enable a little more sleuthing.

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VIADUCT CLOSURE, DAY 9: Bridge crashes; tunneling progress

May 7, 2016 2:07 pm

| 4 COMMENTS

| Alaskan Way Viaduct | Highway 99 tunnel | West Seattle news

(UPDATED 4:54 PM – second eastbound West Seattle Bridge crash of the afternoon has cleared)

FIRST REPORT, 2:07 PM: Two notes on this ninth day of the Viaduct closure – first, a traffic alert:

Collision on West Seattle Bridge EB at 1st Ave S blocking left lane. Use caution and expect delays. pic.twitter.com/c1qh4qdw2M

— seattledot (@seattledot) May 7, 2016

If you’re heading out any time soon (2:07 pm as we publish this), take some extra time. And remember the warnings about all the SCHEDULED events happening as the weekend continues, including Sounders FC vs. San Jose at CenturyLink tonight (7 pm).

2:39 PM UPDATE: SDOT says the bridge crash has cleared.

BACK TO ORIGINAL REPORT: Meantime, a tunneling update:

Highway 99 tunneling crews continue to work 24/7, and WSDOT is publishing updates 7 days a week, too. This morning’s update via 99closure.org: 246 feet tunneled, of the ~385 feet that will get the machine clear of the Alaskan Way Viaduct’s underside; if you look at the map/graphic here, it’s already starting to get past the area in which the entire machine was beneath the Viaduct. Though it’s been monitoring and inspecting the structure throughout the process, WSDOT says it will do one more major inspection – similar to the ones for which it closes the Viaduct for a day or so each spring and fall – once it gets word the machine is completely clear of the ~385-foot stretch.

3:04 PM: WSDOT has just posted today’s second tunneling update – 266.5 feet now dug, of the beneath-Viaduct ~385 feet. That’s more than two-thirds of the way.

3:15 PM: Another crash on the eastbound West Seattle Bridge, this time in the left lanes just before the 4th Avenue exit. Thanks to the texter who sent us first word. We confirmed it via the live camera from the SDOT Travelers Map.

3:19 PM: SDOT has it now:

Collision on West Seattle Bridge at 4th Ave blocking the EB left two lanes. Use caution and expect delays. pic.twitter.com/i2N5uOyXCB

— seattledot (@seattledot) May 7, 2016

3:30 PM: Here’s some video recorded off the SDOT Travelers Map’s live camera (not embeddable so far as we know, so we had to resort to recording off our laptop screen):

From @seattledot cam on the EB bridge crash. Note the response trucks. #99closure pic.twitter.com/1pWp2PmGu4

— West Seattle Blog (@westseattleblog) May 7, 2016

4:54 PM: SDOT confirms that crash has cleared.

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YOU CAN HELP! Train to join Seal Sitters Marine Mammal Stranding Network

May 7, 2016 11:16 am

| Comments Off on YOU CAN HELP! Train to join Seal Sitters Marine Mammal Stranding Network

| How to help | West Seattle news | Wildlife

(Photo by Robin Lindsey)

Tayler and Ana, graduates of the UW’s Environmental Science Program, are Seal Sitters Marine Mammal Stranding Network volunteers, and that means they’re helping wildlife all over our area. Want to join them? Here’s your next chance:

Seal Sitters Marine Mammal Stranding Network will be holding our “Spring New Volunteer Training Session” on Monday evening, May 23rd, from 6:30 – 8:30 pm.

For more information and to RSVP (required to attend), please visit the volunteer page of our website. We encourage children to join and become stewards of Puget Sound’s fragile marine ecosystem.

As an authorized agent of NOAA’s West Coast Marine Mammal Stranding Network, Seal Sitters MMSN responds to reports of all marine mammals along the shoreline of West Seattle, from Brace Point through the Duwamish River.

Join Seal Sitters, a very active network, and make a difference for wildlife!

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West Seattle Crime Watch: Early-morning street robberies

May 7, 2016 9:09 am

| 8 COMMENTS

| Crime | West Seattle news

Two street robberies were reported to police early today, in The Junction and in South Delridge. We don’t have details of the latter but we do have information on the former because one victim’s mother e-mailed us, including what her daughter, 22, had posted to tell friends and relatives online:

“My cousins and I were walking home from West Seattle (Alaska) Junction to my parents’ house three doors down when we were robbed (at) gunpoint by four African American men in all black at 1:15 am on Glenn Way halfway between Oregon St. and Alaska St. They took everything we had on us.”

If you have any information, the SPD incident number is 16-158458.

The second robbery is on the SPD Twitter log as having happened at 16th/Barton, incident number 16-158586.

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Your West Seattle Saturday is on!

May 7, 2016 7:29 am

| 2 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

(Breakfast at the beach! Gull with clam at Constellation Park, photographed by Gary Jones)

Happy Saturday! Yes, The Viaduct is still closed. Here are some of the reasons not to leave the peninsula today, from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:

BIKE TRAIL CLEANUP: Join Swedish Automotive (WSB sponsor) cleaning up the trail along westbound lower Spokane, 9 am-noon, details here. (26th/Spokane)

POLLINATOR GARDEN WORK PARTY: Help out at Louisa Boren K-8 STEM, 9 am-1 pm: “Tools, donuts and coffee will be provided! Bring water and a snack. Everyone is welcome! We are hoping to bring in folks from the community in addition to school families!” (5950 Delridge Way SW)

KENTUCKY DERBY/CHEER SEATTLE FUNDRAISER: Party at Outwest Bar noon-5 pm to enjoy Kentucky Derby day and help CHEER Seattle‘s community work; hat contest, beverage specials, silent auction, more. Details in our calendar listing. (California SW/SW Brandon)

JANE’S WALK IN THE JUNCTION: 9 am, meet at Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (WSB sponsor), and join Timothy Lowry for a walk to explore The Junction’s changes and opportunities, as part of Jane’s Walk. Free! (4410 California SW)

JANE’S WALK IN RIVERSIDE: 10 am, meet at Riverside Memorial Park and join Judy Bentley to explore historic Riverside by the Duwamish River, as part of Jane’s Walk. Free! (17th SW and W. Marginal Way SW)

SSC PLANT SALE: Landscape Horticulture program’s plant sale, 11 am-3 pm on the north end of the South Seattle College (WSB sponsor) campus. (6000 16th SW)

BASEBALL PLAYOFFS: West Seattle High School vs. Eastside Catholic, noon, at Steve Cox Memorial Park in White Center. (15th/102nd)

TEA AT TIBBETTS: Classic way to celebrate Mother’s Day weekend with friends and relatives – 2-4 pm, it’s a tea and treats at Tibbetts United Methodist Church (WSB sponsor), details in our calendar listing. If you didn’t make a reservation in advance, it’s $9/person at the door. (3940 41st SW)

SOFTBALL PLAYOFFS: Chief Sealth International High School vs. Garfield, 3 pm at SWAC. (2801 SW Thistle)

COMMUNITY CONVERSATION WITH YOUR SCHOOL BOARD DIRECTOR: 3-4:30 pm at Southwest Library, drop in to talk with and hear from your West Seattle/South Park rep on the Seattle Public Schools Board, Leslie Harris. (35th SW/SW Henderson)

UKULELE MUSIC @ C & P: 7-9 pm, Arden Fujiwara performs live at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor), “jazz, rock, and lounge with a hint of Hawaiian and reggae.” (5612 California SW)

EVENING TRAFFIC ALERT: In case you’re not already all over this because you’re going to the game – big event in SODO tonight, Sounders FC vs. San Jose @ CenturyLink Field, 7 pm.

MORE! on our complete calendar.

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COUNTDOWN: West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day one week away; map out later today

May 7, 2016 6:37 am

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| Community Garage Sale Day | West Seattle news

The 12th annual West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day is now exactly one week away! 9 am-3 pm Saturday, May 14th, with more than 300 sales of all sizes, all over West Seattle. As promised, we’ll be publishing the map today – no exact time yet as we have a few last changes to make – but as soon as it’s up, we’ll announce it here, as well as at westseattlegaragesale.com, and in the WSB social-media channels. The map page will have permanent links in the navigation bars atop both sites as usual.

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