West Seattle, Washington
08 Friday
Another bicycle stolen in the Admiral area, and this time the thieves took the rack, too:
My daughter’s bike was U-locked to the bike rack at 41st and Admiral (Friday) night. As of (Saturday) morning, rack and bike were gone: The bike is a silver-grey Cannondale CAAD 8 with blue tape on the handlebars. The theft has been reported to the police.
Today starts with a big event that might affect you even if you’re not participating:
WEST SEATTLE 5K: Alki Avenue will be closed from 63rd eastward to Duwamish Head from about 8 am to 11 am for the annual West Seattle 5K Run/Walk, presented by the West Seattle High School PTSA as a fundraiser for student needs (with co-sponsors including WSB). Even if you’re not registered yet, just come down to the Alki Bathhouse and sign up pre-race, starting around 8. The runners/walkers take off shortly after 9 am. (61st/Alki)
As mentioned here previously, NO “Summer Streets” (Car-Free Day) festival afterward – the city scrapped it – but community members have organized fun stuff for:
ALKI DAZE: From the Facebook event page – 1 pm costumed bike parade – meet at 63rd/Alki; 2 pm patio party in the 2600 block of Alki SW (live music with Slow Dance, Darci Carlson, Project Wonder Bread); 3 pm, same area, “bicycle drag race.”
Also happening today:
TLC FOR LP: Friends of Lincoln Park would love to see you there – meet at 9 am at the Fauntleroy/Rose kiosk. Work-party details here.
WEST SEATTLE AMATEUR RADIO CLUB: Interested in joining? The monthly breakfast meeting today, 9:30 am at Young’s Restaurant in South Delridge, is a great place to check out the WSARC. Details here – and did you read this story? (9413 16th SW)
WEST SEATTLE FARMERS’ MARKET: 10 am-2 pm in The Junction. 4th-to-last time you’ll find the market in its current location, since June 14th is when it moves into the street! (44th/Alaska)
DUWAMISH NATIVE FOODS, NOW AND THEN: Noon-4 pm at the Duwamish Tribe Longhouse in West Seattle, including a cultural program 1-2 pm and shared meal 3-4 pm – details here. (4705 W. Marginal Way SW)
‘BETTER PLANNING FOR NONPROFITS’: Free class at Admiral Congregational Church, 12:30 pm – more info here. (California/Hill)
MEET ‘SEATTLE READS’ AUTHOR PETER HELLER: 4 pm at Southwest Branch Library, you can meet author Peter Heller, who wrote “The Painter,” this year’s Seattle Reads book – info here. (35th/Henderson)
(WSB photos by Torin Record-Sand)
Without bees … we’d “bee” in big trouble. While kids decades ago grew up mostly scared of getting stung by a bee, today’s kids are learning about their irreplaceable role in the ecosystem, and celebrating them with events like this one … the parade at today’s third annual West Seattle Bee Festival.
Kids and pets were invited to parade around High Point Commons Park.
Costumes, as you’ve probably guessed, were encouraged. They weren’t limited to the littlest paraders.
The parade was part of a five-hour festival centered around the West Seattle Bee Garden on the north side of the park.
If you missed the festival, you’re welcome to stop by the garden some other time.
It’s at 31st and Graham and will have special features this summer such as Tuesday morning storytimes starting June 16th. Don’t miss the flowers! Today’s parade celebrated those too.
In Westwood today, a spring ritual for the Barton Street P-Patch – the wood-burning masonry oven was fired up for a round of community bagel-baking.
The garden is in its fourth full growing season, and some of what’s grown is donated, too:
It’s one of eight community P-Patches in West Seattle, according to this city-created map.
(UPDATED 9:54 PM with added photos – scroll down)
2:02 PM: That’s just one section of the anti-Arctic-offshore-drilling “flotilla” that’s amassed in Elliott Bay this afternoon. Even if you haven’t been down by the water, you’ve probably noticed the helicopter flyover, circling North Admiral to the bay and back. Hundreds of people with kayaks and canoes started arriving before 9 am, organizing in groups along the Harbor Avenue shore; the traffic peaked a couple hours ago but will pick up again when this is over in late afternoon. An onshore program is scheduled at Jack Block Park, where this portable video sign has been showing a live feed of the kayakers, as well as this logo:
A barge off Seacrest, dubbed “The People’s Platform,” is expected to be showing “projections” in the evening. Here’s an aerial we just received from local photographer/pilot Long Bach Nguyen:
Meantime, on sea and land, police have been very conspicuously in view, from this bicycle pedal-by …
… to a patrol boat on the water and two mast-equipped command vehicles parked with an overview of JB Park and Terminal 5:
Two command vehicles visible from the Jack Block Park road pic.twitter.com/HJBteN8nK6
— West Seattle Blog (@westseattleblog) May 16, 2015
T-5 is where the drill platform Polar Pioneer has been docked since Thursday, but no word of any arrests or clashes. The date for today’s protest, as well as a demonstration on land Monday, was announced weeks ago, even before it was known when the PP would arrive; the drillship Noble Discoverer, which Shell also expects to use in the Arctic, remained docked in Everett at last report.
2:10 PM: Our crew at Jack Block says the flotilla participants are paddling by now, getting closer to the Polar Pioneer:
From our partners at The Seattle Times, via Twitter:
‘Paddle in #Seattle’ protesters gather against #Shell oil rig. (Mark Harrison / ST)
Story:
http://t.co/glrr6C8cit pic.twitter.com/u3tJIgm2Hv
— Seattle Times Photo (@SeaTimesPhoto) May 16, 2015
2:56 PM: Our crew says the flotilla is heading back out of the Duwamish River (Terminal 5 is at its mouth) and toward Jack Block Park.
3:25 PM: What was supposed to be a program of speakers at Jack Block scheduled for around 2 pm hasn’t started yet. So if you’re trying to keep track of when the outbound traffic might start in the area – all bets are off.
4:43 PM: Big outbound traffic as of about 4 pm, us included. More photos later.
ADDED 9:54 PM: As promised – more photos of the sights from and near Jack Block Park over the course of the day, now that we’ve had time to go through what we have – starting with Native canoes that joined the flotilla:
Part of the U.S. Coast Guard’s presence:
One person we recognized in the flotilla – Sustainable West Seattle co-founder Bill Reiswig:
One other view, for geographic context – Long B. Nguyen shot this in the early going today – it shows where Polar Pioneer is, in relation to Jack Block Park (Seacrest is not far off the right edge of the image, which you can click for a larger view):
While this has been promoted as a three-day “Festival of Resistance,” we don’t know of anything tomorrow; Monday morning is the on-land demonstration near the low bridge, scheduled to start around 7 am – so it could affect the morning commute – our most recent mention is here.
On Bike To Work Day, someone stole a bicycle from a West Seattleite who says she bikes to work often. Jane sent the photo and report:
My bike was stolen from in front of the Admiral Way Bartell Drugs on Friday, May 15. The cable lock was cut. It is a grey Raleigh (picture attached) with a rack attachment, very new. I would very much appreciate contact if seen, as I bike to work nearly every day.
As with other stolen vehicles – if you see it, please contact police.
P.S. Tuesday is the next West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting, 7 pm at Southwest Precinct (Delridge/Webster). Local crime trends and neighborhood concerns will be a centerpiece of the meeting, as always, but guests are booked too – former gang members who “will present their gang experiences and what it took for them to leave the gangs.”
FIRST REPORT, 9:36 AM: As of just after 9 am, the SDOT-organized walking tour of the 35th SW Safety Project zone is under way. Above, project manager Jim Curtin, who started the tour with one assistant and three members of the public. At the outbound 35th/Avalon RapidRide, he explained that the section of 35th in that area is NOT proposed for rechannelization or other major changes. He was asked how the mixed-use development across the street will change conditions in that area:
Curtin mentioned, as has been reported here, that it includes a slopeside stairway to help connect the 35th/Avalon area (which is the gateway to West Seattle Stadium, WS Golf Course, and Camp Long) with the growing residential/business area to the west in The Triangle and The Junction. The transit stop, currently relocated to the south, will be “improved,” he said. Then after a few minutes, the group headed southbound, where we spotted them a few minutes later outside the stadium entrance:
You can catch up with the tour for a moment, an hour, whatever interests you. The stops and times are listed here, continuing until they reach 35th/Roxbury at noon. And if you don’t get to catch up with any of this – Curtin reiterated at the start that SDOT will come back to the community with the next version of the proposal, next month. You can send comments/observations/questions to him at jim.curtin@seattle.gov.
11:07 AM: We checked in on the walking tour again at 35th and Morgan, one spot where SDOT had said during the recent community meetings that they were still deciding what would be best to do to avoid significantly delaying traffic here:
The 35th SW walking tour is at 35th/Morgan a little early. Now five participants and 2 @seattledot pic.twitter.com/TDrp5Zq8yZ
— West Seattle Blog (@westseattleblog) May 16, 2015
Curtin said the plan for this intersection so far includes “tweaking the signal phasing.” Nearby residents who joined in at this stop mentioned parking near the intersection that could be reviewed for removal.
P.S. We’ve been experimenting with the new Twitter-linked “live” app Periscope lately and went live at this stop for a few minutes – if you use Twitter, check it out (or, if you don’t want to use Twitter but do decide to use the Periscope app, just follow us there!).
12:22 PM: The tour concluded right on time – we stopped by to check in as they arrived at 35th and Roxbury:
Last stop for the 35th SW walking tour: At Roxbury. Talking about the sidewalks planned south of Rox. pic.twitter.com/9KucePqKxs
— West Seattle Blog (@westseattleblog) May 16, 2015
Curtin told the final few participants that “Option A” is looking the most promising, especially “south of Oregon,” and that the community meeting will likely be in mid-June.
(Western Tanager, photographed by Trileigh Tucker near Lincoln Park)
Busy, busy Saturday ahead. From the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
WEST SEATTLE HI-YU COMMUNITY BREAKFAST: It’s a busy Saturday. Whatever you’re doing, start it at the VFW Hall, 8 am-11 am, for breakfast and the talent exhibition that’s being judged as part of choosing the new Hi-Yu Senior Court Queen. (3601 SW Alaska)
WEST SEATTLE BEE FESTIVAL: Starts with the 9 am Honey Run at 30th/Juneau, and includes the 11 am parade in High Point Commons Park – more details here and here. (Various High Point locations)
35TH SW SAFETY PROJECT WALKING TOUR: Questions/concerns/comments about what the city is proposing for 35th SW? Talk with SDOT during all or part of this morning’s walking tour, which starts at 9 am at 35th/Avalon and offers other meetup points all the way to noon at 35th/Roxbury- see our Friday preview.
SPRING BOOK SALE: 10 am-2 pm at Tibbetts United Methodist Church (WSB sponsor), “a wonderful display of books for all ages.” (3940 41st SW)
HELP SAVE SEATTLE’S APPLES: 10 am-1 pm, CityFruit, and local fruit trees, need you – as explained here. (8845 34th SW)
‘FESTIVAL OF RESISTANCE’: 10 am-4:30 pm activities at and off Seacrest and Jack Block Parks, organized by opponents of Arctic offshore drilling in relation to Shell vessels using Terminal 5. Details in our Friday update. (P.S. The barge just off the area with a trailer and solar panels is part of it, with “projections” expected by dusk on what organizers are calling The People’s Platform.)
TAKE A WALK TO SHAPE A TOUR: 10:30 am-noon, second of three Alki-area walks to help shape a future all-encompassing walking tour – your input will help make that tour terrific. Meet at the SW Seattle Historical Society’s Log House Museum. (61st/Stevens)
CITY MOUSE TURNS 5: Happy 5th Anniversary to City Mouse Studio and Store in The Junction – celebration with special events and deals 11 am-2 pm. (4218 SW Alaska)
BENEFIT BARBECUE AT THRIFTWAY: 11 am-4 pm, today’s West Seattle Thriftway (WSB sponsor) benefit barbecue lunch – only $5 – raises money for Northwest Harvest. Bratwurst with grilled peppers and onions, drink, and chips included. Look for the grill tent outside the store. (4201 SW Morgan)
FIRE IT UP … at the Barton St. P-Patch in Westwood, 11 am-3 pm, help get the garden ready for spring and enjoy fresh treats from the P-Patch’s oven. Details here. (34th/Barton)
FRIENDSHOP POP-UP: 11:30 am-3:30 pm – here’s what it’s all about. West Seattle (Admiral) Library steps. (2306 42nd SW)
WEST SEATTLE 5K REGISTRATION/PACKET PICKUP: Noon-6 pm today, register for tomorrow’s West Seattle 5K or, if you’re already signed up, pick up your packet, at West Seattle Runner (WSB sponsor) – beat the last-minute pre-race rush! (2743 California SW)
ONE-DAY NATIVE ART SHOW: 1-4 pm at the Duwamish Tribe Longhouse in West Seattle, “Contemporary and Traditional Native Fine Arts of the Future” with John Romero. (4705 W. Marginal Way SW)
ALKI DAZE: The community-organized celebration starts tonight with a meet-and-greet at Alki Huddle, 6 pm, followed by a beach bonfire at 8 pm – here’s our preview.
ROO FORREST AND FRIENDS: 7-9 pm at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor) – live music. (5612 California SW)
MORE on the calendar (and note that Highland Park Uncorked and tonight’s performance of “Angry Housewives” are sold out!) … here.
“Irrational” is one word the Port of Seattle is using to describe the city Department of Planning and Development interpretation suggesting Shell oil rigs can’t use Terminal 5 without a new permit. That’s part of what the port argues in its official appeal of the interpretation, which we found in the city Hearing Examiner‘s files, hours after it was posted there late Friday:
The filing came 24 hours after Shell’s platform Polar Pioneer arrived at Terminal 5 – where it was photographed from the air on Friday by West Seattle photographer/pilot Long Bach Nguyen:
And it came three days after a 5-hour Port Commission meeting ended with two motions passed, the second of which directed port staff to file an appeal (WSB coverage here). The port tenant that’s hosting Shell, Foss Maritime, has already filed its appeal, as first reported here hours after that meeting. The verbiage in the port’s document is notably sharper, especially in its opening assertion that “the effect of the interpretation, if affirmed on appeal, will be to make unlawful the moorage of many different kinds of vessels, including … tugboats … marine-construction vessels … cruise vessels … icebreakers … ships of state … research vessels … diving vessels … oil-spill-response vessels … seismic vessels … Seattle Fire Department fireboats.”
The appeal later also suggests that since the port is a steward of its marine environment and that hosting many different types of vessels is a key component of that, the appeal could be environmentally damaging and therefore is subject to review under the State Environmental Policy Act. Appeals typically will go before the Hearing Examiner, but usually not for a few months until their filing; we’re not seeing a date on the docket yet. Meantime, the city told WSB on Wednesday that the appeal process wouldn’t keep it from citing the port if it chose to.
12:54 AM: Police are searching right now for a man who is reported to have held someone up at gunpoint in the Alki area. We don’t have many details, but it happened about half an hour ago, according to information broadcast over police frequencies, and the robber was reported to have last been seen in the Whale Tail Park area; police also are searching near Schmitz Park. The only description mentioned so far is “light complexion black man, early to mid-20s, 6 feet tall, thin build, striped shirt.” No information about the victim(s) and whether they were hurt – no medic calls in the Alki area, though.
12:13 PM: The only additional information we have about this so far is that it was reported in the 1100 block of Alki SW, according to an SPD auto-tweet. Unless it appears on SPD Blotter or unless we happen to find a sergeant in the field who can tell us more, we won’t be able to get additional details until Monday.
The official filing period for this year’s elections is over. And for one of the first candidates to jump into the City Council District 1 race, it’s taken a turn at the end:
Amanda Kay Helmick, who’s been running since October, was the only District 1 candidate to declare she would get onto the ballot by collecting signatures instead of paying the $1,199.76 fee. We wanted to photograph that unique moment of the first-ever District 1 campaign, so we covered her visit to the County Elections Department offices in Renton at midday today as she turned in her stack of petitions.
The staff explained they would start verifying the signatures immediately, and offered her the chance to leave a standby check for the filing fee in case she fell short, since the filing deadline was just hours away. She declined, explaining to us in a short interview afterward that she believes a candidate should be put on the ballot by the people, not by money.
Then, late in the day, Helmick told us the Elections Department notified her she had fallen short and did not qualify for the ballot – she turned in 1,318 signatures but fell 26 short. She is asking for a “judicial review,” but for now, she’s not on the list: “I am supremely disappointed,” she told WSB, “but determined to at least see this all the way through.”
The nine candidates who are on the list, according to the unofficial list on the KC Elections website, are:
Pavel Goberman
Chas Redmond
Arturo Robles
Phillip Tavel
Shannon Braddock
Lisa Herbold
Jody Rushmer
Karl Wirsing
Brianna Thomas
Robles, Rushmer, and Wirsing just surfaced in the past week and a half; the other six have been in for a while, starting with Redmond, who declared his candidacy almost a year and a half ago.
Also of local note: County Councilmember Joe McDermott is running unopposed; two more candidates have joined the local School Board (Position 6) race since last night’s candidate forum, and the field is now Suzanne L. Sutton, Nick Esparza, Marty McLaren, and Leslie Harris. (Of the four school-board positions on the ballot this fall, McLaren is the only incumbent running for re-election.) Though the filing period has closed, this all remains “unofficial” until KC Elections finalizes it early next week. The primary election is on August 4th.
(WSB photos: Above, Wildcats applauding their supporters postgame)
We’re under the lights at Southwest Athletic Complex, where the Metro League softball championship game has just ended with Ballard HS taking the tournament title, 3-1 over the West Seattle HS Wildcats.
Tough pitching on both sides; Ballard’s Sage Nicholson (above) got the win, pitching a complete game as did WSHS’s Gabby Wenn (below).
The postseason is just beginning, with districts up next. First time in tournament history that the top two teams have been from public schools, the tournament director has just said.
Thanks to Lisa Brody for the photo and report on a Chief Sealth International High School relay team that won big this afternoon:
Metro-All City Track meet on May 15 at SWAC this afternoon: Lots of excitement and many competitors from Chief Sealth International High School as well as West Seattle High moving on to the District Track Meet next week at SWAC.
I thought I would share this photo of the Chief Sealth Girls 4 X 100m relay team who took first place as Metro League Champions. These same girls also ran in the 4 X 200m relay and took 2nd in that event.
Here they are with the Chief Sealth International High School Track Sprinting Coach, Billy Hairston. From left to right – Chloe Myers, Assa Kaba, Coach Hairston, Imani Carey, and Quinn Wiley.
(Thanks to everyone who’s been sharing high-school sports updates – editor@westseattleblog.com – so we can share the news with the community!)
(Photo by Paul Weatherman)
The Shell drill rig Polar Pioneer has been at Terminal 5 in West Seattle for a day. What had been announced as a “Festival of Resistance” long before its arrival date was known is about to begin. Last night, “kayaktivists” trained in West Seattle waters one last time before the planned protests:
(WSB photo, Thursday night)
Here’s the timeline they have circulated:
SATURDAY
10 am-4:30 pm
Main event: Protest on the water – described by organizers as “Seattle residents, national environmental organizations and local grassroots groups will join a peaceful kayak flotilla in Elliot Bay to protest Shell’s Arctic drilling plans and its contribution to climate change.” Seacrest is listed as the main location for gathering, with later events at Jack Block Park per this timeline:
10 AM – Kayak Check-In and registration begins
11-12:30 Launch Boats
1 PM – On-water procession begins
2 PM – On-stage program begins at Jack Block Park: 2130 Harbor Ave SW
3:30 PM – On-stage program ends and all vessels return to launch sites.
Organizers say larger boats and canoes will launch from Don Armeni Boat Ramp, so that will be busy as well. The canoes will be part of an Idle No More Native-organized companion demonstration; its timeline is in this Facebook event.
(WSB photo, Thursday night)
SUNDAY
While this has been billed as a three-day “Festival of Resistance,” no specific events are announced so far for Sunday – good thing, considering the West Seattle 5K takes up the morning and Alki Avenue will be closed to vehicles.
MONDAY
7 am- ?
Protesters plan to gather by the fishing pier off the east end of the low bridge, and walk from there to “march to Shell’s rigs and nonviolently shut down operations for the day.” We asked the Port of Seattle earlier in the week about any changes it expected for the day. They told us today they had sent this notice to their tenants:
Please be informed that a protest is planned for 7am, Monday May 18, starting near the Spokane St. Fishing Bridge. Their intent, based on the event description, is to block access to our terminals. Both our police and SPD expect a large contingent of protestors. Impacts are expected to be significant. Please plan your morning accordingly. If you experience any problems, or feel you are in danger, please call 911. We are urging protesters to exercise their First Amendment rights peacefully, safely and legally in areas adjacent to our terminals.
Terminal 18’s operator, meantime, has decided to close for the day; SSA sent this notice out, according to the port:
TERMINAL 18 & MATSON – CLOSED ON MONDAY, MAY 18
We have been notified by local authorities that there will be significant protest activity in the area on Monday, May 18, 2015 related to Shell Oil Company and their activities at Terminal 5 in Seattle.
The Shell protesters have indicated that they intend to occupy Harbor Island as part of the protest. For the safety of our employees and all others who conduct business at T18 the decision has been made to close on Monday, May 18. We will reopen on Tuesday, May 19 at 0700.
We asked Seattle Police on Thursday if they had anything they want people to know regarding Saturday and Monday. Short answer, no, though they had a big briefing on Thursday morning. They intend to maintain their jurisdictions, SPD told us, and that includes the US Coast Guard enforcing “safety zones” on the water. We will of course be covering this as it happens, so if you’re not participating or spectating, at least check in to see what’s up down by the water.
The proposal to rechannelize much of 35th SW after years of safety concerns and reduce its speed limit to 30 mph is one of our area’s hottest transportation topics. Your next chance to take your questions directly to the city is on a walking tour tomorrow morning – and you don’t have to walk the whole distance; the city’s graphic, above, shows where they expect to be and when, both for tomorrow’s 35th SW tour and for next Wednesday night’s walking tour of SW Roxbury. In case you can’t read it, here’s the list for tomorrow:
9:00 am – 35th/Avalon
9:30 am – 35th/Dawson
9:45 am – 35th/Juneau
10:15 am – 35th/Morgan
10:45 am – 35th/Holden
11:15 am – 35th/Thistle
11:45 am – 35th/Barton
12:00 pm – 35th/Roxbury
Here’s the official project page with details of what the city’s considering. The design alternatives were unveiled at two meetings in March – our coverage is here and here. Meantime, the West Seattle resident who started a petition opposed to the rechannelization and speed-limit reduction, Bob Neel, sent us the final summary he has sent to SDOT’s project manager Jim Curtin – see it here.
(Photo courtesy Vigor Industrial)
From the what-you’ll-see-at-sea department – this just in from Vigor Industrial: A big floating drydock is due in over the weekend at its Harbor Island location, coming up from Portland. No photo yet (we’re looking for one), but here’s the announcement via a Vigor spokesperson:
Read More
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
After the city announced Tuesday that Seattle Parks would offer “free” drop-in programs for school-age kids during Seattle Public Schools‘ teacher-walkout closure day next Tuesday, one group of Parks clients learned it will come with a cost to them:
Families with children in Parks-facilities preschools have been told their programs are canceled for that day, and that there will be no refund and no makeup date.
(State-provided map, obtained via Flickr. Pink counties [all of WA] = drought)
You might be wondering how Governor Inslee‘s statewide drought declaration will affect you. Not much in terms of routine water use, according to the city. Here’s what Seattle Public Utilities is saying:
Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) said today there are no plans at this time to raise drinking water rates in the event conservation efforts, prompted by a statewide drought, cause a decline in Utility revenues.
Earlier this year, Seattle City Council adopted a two-year plan that holds water rate increases to 1.7 percent for 2016 and 2.7 percent for 2017. SPU Director Ray Hoffman said that unless there is a gigantic drop in water usage, that rate plan will not change.
“Unlike much of the rest of the state, Seattle has been able to hold lots of water in our mountain reservoirs, and we have told our customers they can expect a normal water summer,” Hoffman said.
“As always, we are asking people to use water wisely, but even if our revenues decline dramatically as a result of conservation efforts, the rates adopted for the next two years are protected by a $28 million contingency fund designed to bring predictability and stability to water bills,” Hoffman said.
Seattleites already use less water than most cities in the country. In the unlikely event of a large decline in water usage, SPU’s first action would be to tap into its rate stabilization fund. Beyond that, options for meeting that long-term fixed revenue requirement could include canceling capital improvement projects or raising rates.
Nonetheless, that doesn’t mean you should just use water with abandon. Here are some easy ways to use less.
ORIGINAL REPORT, 12:15 PM: New on SPD Blotter: A 52-year-old man arrested in North Delridge “after he menacingly harassed two women on the street, and tried to bite an officer as she took him into custody.” It all started in the 4000 block of 26th and ended in the 2600 block of SW Yancy, police say. Here’s the full story.
ADDED 12:24 PM: Picking up where the SPDB story left off – we’ve just looked up the suspect on the jail register. He remains behind bars; while his initial bail from last night’s booking shows on the register at $2,000, an online court docket shows that an increase to $50,000 was granted at his bail hearing this morning.
ADDED 12:40 PM: We’ve just learned more about the suspect and are identifying him as he is a registered sex offender – because of a rape conviction – Randy Gene Stark. In 2010, he made regional news for attempted child luring. He’s registered with a downtown address. (Photo from King County sex offender lookup website)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
If you were at the South Seattle College (WSB sponsor) Georgetowm campus last night, you saw and heard nine candidates in three races as part of a two-section forum. If not – we have it all on video:
That’s the longer section of the forum, co-presented by three local Democratic organizations – the 34th District Democrats of West Seattle/North Highline/Vashon/Maury, and the 11th and 37th DDs – and moderated by
John Burbank. It was the first in this area to feature the candidates for the two “at-large” positions that will be part of the newly reconfigured Seattle City Council (along with seven geographical-district positions) – you’ll see them on your August 4th primary ballot as well as the District 1 (West Seattle South Park) race. Candidates for both positions, 8 and 9, were questioned at the same time, as you’ll see; from left at the table, Lorena Gonzalez (P-9), Bill Bradburd (P-9), Alon Bassok (P-9), John Roderick (P-8), John Persak (P-8), Jon Grant (P-8), Tim Burgess (P-8), and moderator John Burbank at the podium. The candidates in attendance represented all who had filed for Positions 8 and 9 as of the forum’s start, except for Alex Tsimerman (P-9).
Preceding that hour-plus round of questioning was a shorter round featuring the two candidates for Seattle School Board Position 6, representing West Seattle and South Park.
From left, they are Marty McLaren, seeking a second term, and Leslie Harris.
After the jump (if you’re reading from the main WSB page), some notes (primarily on the school-board forum, since it’s geographically specific) if you don’t have time to listen/watch:
(2013 photo: West Seattle Bee Festival parade)
Big weekend ahead. Tomorrow’s third annual West Seattle Bee Festival, at the WS Bee Garden in High Point, is part of it, and a new event has just been announced: The Lunchbox Cookoff. From the Events Committee of the High Point Open Spaces Association, which is presenting the festival:
Chef Chad Brown from Whole Foods Market has created three recipes just for the Bee Festival. He will demonstrated these easy-to-make, delicious, nutritious and fun lunchbox recipes for your family. You can sample his dishes and vote on which one you like the best. Come to the Events Committee table on the north side of Neighborhood House’s High Point Center [6400 Sylvan Way SW]. Get your free ticket for 11:30, 12:00, 12:30 or 1:00 demonstrations. Servings are limited.
Also happening at the Bee Festival:
*Come to the Honey Run at 9
*Make your own bee costume at 10, march in the parade at 11.
*Visit the Information Fair at 11:30 or tour the WS Bee Enclosure at 12.
*Enter the Bee-Ball Tournament or play Field Games at 12.
Find out more at westseattlebeegarden.com; the garden is at 31st/Graham, on the north side of High Point Commons Park.
(Four WS-relevant views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
5:44 AM: We’re launching traffic watch earlier than usual because Northbound 99 is still closed in the stadium zone after an overnight car-motorcycle crash. TV crews there say one lane might be open soon – but for now, you can’t use 99; your options are I-5 or surface streets instead. Buses that use 99 have been diverted. Here’s the “live” camera view:
We’ll of course update. SPD says the crash was caused by a wrong-way driver hitting a motorcycle rider, who has life-threatening injuries.
Also this morning:
(Added: WSB photos. Commute station included WS Bike Connections with info on ‘5-way intersection’)
BIKE TO WORK DAY: It’s Bike To Work Day around Puget Sound, and if you are riding your bicycle this morning, make time to stop at the special “commute station” open until 9 am under the high bridge, co-presented by West Seattle Bike Connections and DIY Bikes.
(At right, Stu Hennessey of DIY Bikes)
More on that here.
Alerts for the next few days:
SATURDAY & MONDAY PROTESTS: Saturday is most likely to bring congestion around Don Armeni Boat Ramp and Seacrest Park with kayakers gathering for an on-the-water demonstration because of the Shell rig Polar Pioneer‘s arrival; Monday, an early-morning on-land demonstration is planned, going from the fishing bridge to Terminal 5, which might affect commute-hour travel on and around the low bridge.
SUNDAY, WEST SEATTLE 5K: The first and biggest run/walk of the season on Alki is happening Sunday morning, 9:20 am, with Alki Avenue closed to vehicles (and heed the “no parking” signs) until 11 am or so. Once again, NO “car-free day” festival afterward, for the first time in many years, so the road will fully reopen afterward.
6:01 AM UPDATE: One lane of northbound 99 is now open.
6:48 AM: Both lanes of NB 99 are now open.
Congrats Mr Nelson for winning Lee McNeil Mentoring Award #stemteacher @seapubschools @westseattleblog @Denny_OST pic.twitter.com/jTHQrlGWMQ
— Patricia J Rangel (@dennydolphinap) May 11, 2015
Congratulations to Denny International Middle School teacher Will Nelson – his colleagues are so proud of his mentoring award, we heard about it as a tweet (above) from assistant principal Patricia Rangel and in the note below from principal Jeff Clark:
Please join me in congratulating Mr. Nelson on winning the Lee McNeil Mentoring Award presented by the Marine Technology Society for his years of mentorship with our underwater robotics program. Way to go, Mr. Nelson! Go Dolphins!
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