West Seattle, Washington
20 Thursday
Five highlights today from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar and our WS Halloween Guide:
FIREFIGHTER STORY TIME: 11:30 am at High Point Branch Library, preschoolers learn a lesson about fire safety, and who better to teach it than Seattle Fire Department firefighters. (35th/Raymond)
SOLAR ECLIPSE VIEWING PARTY – OR ASTRONOMY PRESENTATION: 1:15-3 pm, Alice Enevoldsen of Alice’s Astro Info and Skies Over West Seattle fame will be at High Point Branch Library for a solar-eclipse-viewing party, just in case there’s a break in the weather; if the eclipse isn’t visible, she’ll give an astronomy presentation, so come to the library anyway! (35th/Raymond)
HAUNTED HOUSE AND FALL FESTIVAL: First big event from the WSB West Seattle Halloween Guide – 6 pm, fall festival and haunted house at High Point Community Center. (6920 34th SW)
SEATTLE LUTHERAN HIGH SCHOOL OPEN HOUSE: School-open-house season continues with tonight’s 7-8:30 pm open house inviting families to West Seattle’s only independent high school. Details in our calendar listing. (41st/Genesee)
OPENING NIGHT FOR ‘DOGFIGHT’: 7:30 pm at ArtsWest (WSB sponsor), it’s the first performance of the musical “Dogfight,” described as “the romantic and heartbreaking story of three young marines in 1963 on the eve of the deployment to the small but growing conflict in Vietnam.” Directed by AW’s new artistic director Mathew Wright. (4711 California SW)
Some have auctions, some have walk-a-thons, some have “direct drives” – whichever the method, it’s the time of year when PTAs ask for the support of their communities (and school funding has certainly been in the news lately). From Arbor Heights Elementary:
Join the Circle of Friends! The Arbor Heights Elementary PTA invites any and all members of the West Seattle community to Join the Circle of Friends by participating in our direct fundraising drive October 13-31st! 100% of funds raised by the PTA go to support programs that enrich the educational experience of students at Arbor Heights! The Arbor Heights PTA funds its $74,000 annual budget (which, shockingly, is bigger than our school’s operating budget provided by the State!) through various charitable giving events (membership drive, direct drive, annual auction, etc.).
This year PTA priorities (voted on by the membership) include: Young Authors Day, 5th Grade Camp, Instrumental Music, Kindergarten Aides, Playground Equipment, Academic Enrichment and Field Trips, Safety Patrol, Library, Global Reading Challenge, Sports Equipment, and Teacher Requests for innovative learning.
Visit arborheightses.seattleschools.org to learn more, download a donation
form, donate online, or set up a recurring donation! Thank you!
If you have a school fundraiser under way or coming up and want to invite the community to be part of it, please make sure we know about it – thanks!
(WS bridge and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
The second bridge camera is back, so we have four views once again in our daily traffic watch. Meantime, two reminders:
SUNDAY – HARVEST FESTIVAL: Junction streets are closed and buses are on reroute for the 10 am-2 pm festival (and the setup/breakdown time before/after). Details in our most-recent preview.
MONDAY – WATER TAXI SCHEDULE CHANGE: The 7-day-a-week, all-day West Seattle Water Taxi schedule ends Sunday; next Monday, the 5-day fall/winter schedule begins – preview it here.
By Tracy Record & Patrick Sand
West Seattle Blog co-publishers
(September 2006 reader photo, memorial at 35th/Graham)
Susanne Scaringi …
Their names weren’t all spoken during Wednesday night’s launch meeting for the 35th SW Road Corridor Safety Project. But the knowledge that five crashes on “I-35” had ended their lives – five deaths in seven years – hung heavy.
“There are so many reasons we want to eliminate these serious crashes,” said SDOT‘s Jim Curtin, opening the first “issue identification” meeting for the project, which he is managing. “… We want to create a street that’s more forgiving, so when people do make mistakes, the consequences aren’t so tragic.”
What began Wednesday night – 8 months after it was promised – is intended to result in changes and improvements within a year, along the three miles of 35th between Avalon and Roxbury – three miles that have seen 1,065 crashes in the past 10 years, Curtin said.
(May 2013 crash at 35th/Roxbury: WSB photo by Christopher Boffoli)
Distraction is blamed for about a third of the crashes. After that: Speeding, impairment, failure to grant right-of-way. Despite the absence of a major safety campaign, there has been progress.
(October 2008 speed sign at 35th/Willow, where recent studies showed the highest average speed)
The speed limit along the project area is 35 mph; studies from the past year show that speeds have “come down considerably since 2007,” Curtin said, but they are still over the limit. 85 percent of the traffic is going almost 41 mph at SW Willow, 38.5 mph at SW Brandon, 36.5 mph at SW Roxbury. At those speeds, “we’re rolling the dice .. pedestrians do not typically do well” if hit at those rates of speed.
Backing up: He began with a presentation; not recommendations or suggestions, but instead, the project’s goals and facts. We recorded those first 46 minutes on video, including some Q/A:
Below, you’ll see the slide deck Curtin walked through during that opening presentation:
Curtin stressed that 35th is “a neighborhood” – 488 parcels along the three-mile stretch in the project zone, 73 percent of them single-family homes, 11 percent apartments/condos/townhouses – so when there are crashes, they are virtually (and sometimes literally) “in people’s front yards”:
(January 2010 crash at 35th/Cloverdale – WSB reader photo by Bruce)
While he stressed repeatedly that “tonight, we’re not jumping into solutions at all,” it was clear that some are eager, even ravenous, for solutions. One man who said he’s had two cars “totaled, absolutely totaled” decried people who drive on 35th SW “as if it were the Indianapolis 500,” particularly in the years since it became the last north-south two-lanes-each-way road through the heart of West Seattle.
(Seen April 2010 at 35th/Webster, shared by MAS)
He continued, “If you put 35th on a road diet, you won’t need more people to enforce (the speed limit).” (He was challenged loudly by other attendees and Curtin had to put the brakes on what almost accelerated into a shout-down.)
The speed van and radar trailers are among the measures implemented since 2007 that have brought speeds down somewhat, “but there is still room for improvement,” Curtin declared. (Our archives include this long list of changes made as of a 2008 discussion (note that a road-diet study was mentioned then, six years ago).
Police enforcement has brought some progress over the years.
(WSB photo: April 2011 emphasis patrol on 35th)
Southwest Precinct commander Capt. Steve Wilske told attendees about an enforcement period in which SPD made contact with 200 drivers over four months, with 70 pulled over for “talking on a cell phone while driving,” 40 for speeding, and the other 90 for “various violations” (including other forms of distracted driving). He said they might be back on 35th, and they are hoping to “do the same thing … in different areas.” The overtime is covered by grants they seek.
In Q/A, Curtin and Wilske were asked how road design might affect the stated major causes of crashes, distraction and impairment. “The way we design our streets have a huge impact on how people behave on our streets,” Curtin replied. “We have great big wide streets,” and, for example, that encourages people to speed, he says. “That’s why in Seattle our neighborhood streets are designed to be 25 feet wide with parking on both sides,” very little room to speed.
One resident of 35th mentioned that other drivers “don’t like their momentum broken” by, for example, his necessary turns into his own driveway, or buses slowing/stopping to pick up people. He suggested it would be worse “with three lanes” – referring to widespread suspicion that a “road diet” (rechannelization) is already decided. “Nobody’s said anything about three lanes at this point,” said Curtin, reiterating that this is the discussion stage, not the design stage.
But the topic came up again and again, and Curtin mentioned something he’s said before – that while Seattle has “done more than 30 road diets,” usually preceded by “gloom and doom,” the latter does not come to pass. (Fauntleroy Way SW, rechannelized in 2009, is a frequent example.)
Another point he made: While every intersection is a legal crosswalk – and you’re required to stop – SDOT won’t mark them “on roads like 35th” unless there is a signal. If they “change things significantly on 35th,” that would allow more marked crossings, he noted.
Was there ever a traffic change that didn’t work out? Curtin was asked. He brought up California SW, “which we put on a road diet twice, in 1970s and 1990s,” and while, he said, it worked well along most of the stretch, it did not work in the heart of The Junction, so they reversed it. “And that’s the beauty of a road diet – it’s just paint,” so if it doesn’t work out, the road can be repainted.
That led to a question about the state of SW Alaska, westward from 35th. Curtin pointed out its status as a bus route – “every time a RapidRide bus passes you, that’s hundreds of people who would (otherwise) be in cars” – as some solace for traffic concerns.
After those 46 minutes of presentation plus Q/A, breakout conversations were offered for topics including a proposed neighborhood greenway on 34th SW, which will be studied, Curtin said, next year – and what Curtin acknowledged might be “difficult choices” involving hot topics such as parking and channelization.
The 40-plus people in attendance were invited to offer their thoughts at three tables – broken geographically into the north, central, and south sections of 35th. Notes were written on huge sheets of paper mapping section of I-35.
WHAT’S NEXT: Curtin couldn’t stress enough that this is the input phase – offer your comments and concerns now, before something is designed/proposed. Next big chance to do that is meeting #2, same format as this one, though Curtin promised “tweaks”: 3:30 pm next Tuesday (October 28th), 3:30-5 pm at Southwest Branch Library, which, unlike Wednesday night’s venue, is on 35th (at SW Henderson) … a spot where we’ve covered a few crashes in the past year alone, including this one exactly one year ago:
(WSB photo: October 2013 crash at 35th/Henderson)
In February of next year, SDOT expects to unveil and circulate “design alternatives,” with a decision to be made in spring. In the meantime, if you have something to say, say it, urges Curtin: “If anyone feels they’re not being heard at these meetings, send me an e-mail at any time (jim.curtin@seattle.gov) … I’d be happy to come out and walk the corridor with you … I’d be happy to meet with you whenever and wherever.”
What would YOU do to make 35th SW safer? Come tell SDOT Tuesday – or via the contact options here.
Three West Seattle Crime Watch reports tonight. First one is a reader report:
Saturday night our elderly neighbor had a prowler down on Beach Drive. The man, described as a white male, was in her backyard around 2 am. Her house guest was awakened by his VERY distinctive ring tone “The Charge of the Valkyries” ! I thought that was distinctive enough that someone may be able to identify the Wagner Prowler. It appears that he was trying to gain access to a neighbor’s yard..but took off when his cell phone went off.
We don’t have the block number. But keep an … ear out.
Next – two from the police-report files: Another smartphone stolen, and an odd cross-peninsula case of “road rage”:
Sunbreaks can strike at the most surprising times. So in case somehow the partial solar eclipse tomorrow afternoon becomes visible, you want to be prepared. For the past three days, Alice Enevoldsen of Alice’s Astro Info and Skies Over West Seattle fame has helped West Seattleites do just that, with pre-eclipse events at local Seattle Public Library branches. This afternoon, Alice was at Delridge Library coaching prospective eclipse-watchers through the creation of pinhole viewers (so you can experience the eclipse without damaging your eyes by looking at the sun). The photo was shared by the family of Raina (at center, with Alice at left and Chrissy the librarian at right). But even if the sun doesn’t make it through the clouds here, you’ll be able to check out the eclipse through webcasts.
From the West Seattle Booster Club:
Care about equity and safety for West Seattle High School athletes?
West Seattle Booster Club urges you to join their letter-writing campaign! Read the letter below, then write to Seattle Public Schools Board of Directors (MS 11-010, PO Box 34165, Seattle, 98124-1165) and Seattle Parks and Recreation Board of Park Commissioners (100 Dexter Ave N, Seattle, 98109) to help create positive change for (the) sports program. Thank you for supporting WSHS athletes!
If you can’t see the letter as embedded above, it’s here in PDF.
3:55 PM: Seattle Fire is sending a “rope rescue” response for what might be a window washer in trouble on a building in the 4800 block of California SW. You might hear/see a TV helicopter shortly, too. More to come.
3:58 PM: Per scanner, the window washer is reported to be OK on a 4th-floor balcony, so some of the SFD units are being canceled.
4:06 PM: The last SFD units were leaving as we arrived – all’s well, incident over.
Counting down to this Sunday’s West Seattle Junction Harvest Festival (by which time the weather is supposed to be better – showers likely, not steady rain!) – a few reminders and previews:
STREETS CLOSED: Even if you are not going to the festival, keep in mind that California will be closed from Oregon to Edmunds and Alaska from 44th to 42nd – the West Seattle Farmers Market and the festival’s “harvest activity” booths will all be out in the street for the duration of the 10 am-2 pm festival. This means transit rerouting, too – see the alerts on the Metro website.
HARVEST ACTIVITIES: Thanks to everybody who’s sending previews of what they’re planning. We’ll feature a few a day for the next few days. Today’s mentions: My Three Little Birds in Morgan Junction will be there with the chance for kids to “stop by and make a hanging decoration for their house on Halloween. They can make a witch hat or a spooky spider. We will also hand out candy for the kids and a coupon for parents or grandparents,” says proprietor Jennifer. … Infinite B Canvas Creations proprietor B. says, “At my booth kids will be painting handprint harvest inspired trees on canvas panels. I’ve attached display examples that my little nieces Lillian (6) & Zoey (3) made for my booth.”
Meantime, West Seattle School of Rock proprietor Phil says, “We will be running spontaneous 2-3 minute Little Wing activities throughout the day as large enough groups of little ones (about ages 3-6) walk up. We will also have electric guitars the kids can check out. We will have percussion instruments at our booth for the kids to use.” Also, WSB sponsor Potter Construction will be there with a mini-pumpkin toss in their booth. More previews tomorrow!
ALSO AT THE FESTIVAL: 11 am-1 pm chili competition (9-sample flight for $10, benefits the West Seattle Food Bank), 11:30 am costume parade from Junction Plaza Park, noon-2 pm trick-or-treating. Aside from the chili fundraiser and anything you buy from the Farmers’ Market, festival activities are free!
1:27 PM: Avoid 9th SW/SW Henderson vicinity in south Highland Park for a while; roads are blocked as emergency responders deal with what was reported as a power-pole fire. We’re heading over to look.
2:31 PM UPDATE: 9th is closed at Henderson and at Trenton. We were told at the scene that City Light will have to replace the pole, so the closure might last a while. No outage reported, though.
2:53 PM: STREET CLOSED signs are now arriving in the area, more proof it’ll be a while – with 9th closed from Barton to Trenton, Henderson closed east of 10th.
3:07 PM: Scanner-monitored discussion indicates the closure will constrict back to 9th/Henderson.
8:35 PM: We just stopped by the scene. 9th isn’t blocked, but Henderson is, and police/utility crews there say they will likely be working “a few more hours.” The new pole is up but now it’s time for connecting, testing, etc. – and they’re working in rain and wind.
Two “found” reports:
WHOSE SPORTS-CARD BINDERS ARE THESE? Southwest Precinct Det. Brian Ballew shares the photo – he is hoping to find either the owner of those binders (and what’s in them) or at least someone who knows whose they might be. He confirms they’re the same ones mentioned at last week’s Admiral Neighborhood Association meeting. If you have any info (or if they’re yours!), please contact Det. Ballew directly at 206-233-7836.
Second, a reader report:
BICYCLE FOUND: As with stolen cars, we spotlight found/stolen bicycles when we get word of them. The photo is from Julie, who says someone left a red, men’s Excitor 21-speed road-type bike in her yard. She’s reported it to police but if you know whose it is, speak up so it can be returned sooner rather than later.
Thanks to the readers who e-mailed this morning to report that The Cask in The Admiral District has closed. We have just confirmed that with proprietor Marty Ogan; no further elaboration. He took over the wine/beer bar at 2350 California SW earlier this year; it opened in summer 2010, a few owners ago, in a space that had previously been home to a shoe shop. This means two storefronts are now empty in the commercial building on the east side of California north of Admiral Way, after Royal India Grill‘s sudden closure five months ago.
Rain or shine, the demolition and construction work in the heart of West Seattle is proceeding – and today, at the future site of The Whittaker (4755 Fauntleroy Way SW), the last round of demolition has begun. Teardown of the 1952-built former auto-dealership buildings on the south side of the site started this morning. The view in the top photo reminds us of the same stage of demolition on another formerly Huling-owned site five years ago. *added* Here’s a photo from just before the beams were revealed:
Just in case you’re a new arrival: The project to be built here includes ~400 apartments, ~600 parking spaces, and retail (Whole Foods remains the only announced tenant so far). The Masonic Center at 40th/Edmunds is not part of the site and will remain, getting some parking-lot improvements as part of the “public benefits” promised by the developers next door.
P.S. Speaking of development – the West Seattle Land Use Committee‘s scheduled to hold its third meeting tonight, 6:30 pm, Senior Center of West Seattle (Oregon/California).
(Ducks we photographed at Sunday’s Fauntleroy Fall Festival. This seems like their kind of day.)
From the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
WORK AT HOME? TAKE A BREAK … and join the weekly Home Office/Co-working Meetup at West Seattle’s only co-working hub, WS Office Junction (WSB sponsor). Noon-1 pm. (6040 California SW)
ECLIPSE COUNTDOWN EVENT: One more library event with Alice Enevoldsen, looking ahead to tomorrow’s partial eclipse of the sun (hey, we just might get a sunbreak) – make a pinhole viewer, 4 pm, Delridge Branch Library. (5423 Delridge Way SW)
FREE OKTOBERFEST DINNER: 5 pm, Emeritus West Seattle invites you to a free event with dinner, music, pretzels, beer, and more – just RSVP; our calendar listing explains how. (4611 35th SW)
35TH SW SAFETY PROJECT KICKOFF: 6:30 pm at Neighborhood House’s High Point Center, it’s the long-awaited, announced-months-ago kickoff meeting for the 35th Avenue SW Road Safety Project. This is **not** a meeting at which you’ll be shown what the city has come up with and asked for comments; this is billed as a bonafide chance to tell SDOT what matters to you in designing a plan, so be there if you can:
Purpose: Review existing conditions and traffic data, discuss toolbox of potential engineering and enforcement strategies, and hear concerns and ideas from residents
This has been years in the making – here’s some backstory. (6400 Sylvan Way SW)
(added) WEST SEATTLE LAND USE COMMITTEE: 6:30 pm at the Senior Center of West Seattle, it’s the third meeting of this still-taking-shape group intended to look at “big picture” issues regarding development/land use on the peninsula. (Oregon/California)
(back to original report) HIGHLAND PARK ACTION COMMITTEE: 6:30 pm potluck followed by 7 pm meeting, featuring these topics:
The agenda includes an update on the Seattle Public Utilities’ natural drainage project (also called roadside raingardens or green stormwater infrastructure), planned along several blocks of 17th Avenue SW. The project is currently in design with construction anticipated for mid-2015. We will also be hosting a speaker from Communities in Schools at Highland Park Elementary, who will share with us some upcoming events for community involvement at the school.
HPAC meets at Highland Park Improvement Club. (12th/Holden)
QUESTIONS ABOUT THE WEST SEATTLE Y EXPANSION PLAN? Another community meeting is set for tonight at 7 pm at the YMCA (WSB sponsor)’s Studio 5 – details here. (4518 Fauntleroy Way SW)
POETRY AND STORYTELLING: Once a month, writers gather at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor) to share their work with each other and everyone else who’s interested. You’re invited! 7 pm. (5612 California SW)
AND MORE … these daily highlights lists only spotlight a few of the MANY events on our calendar – take a minute and browse the rest (for today, tomorrow, and days/weeks beyond) … thanks!
(Apple pie “before” photo, courtesy Bells of the Sound)
Before we hunker down and get really serious for the day – after a rough commute for many – let’s talk pie. Not for right now, sorry. This is one you have to plan for. It’s an annual pie-making/selling/giving event here in West Seattle, and we don’t always get word in time for you to join in, but this year, we did. From Shirley:
Would you like to donate an Apple Pie to help feed the homeless through the Union Gospel Mission this Thanksgiving? Or, Would you like a homemade Apple Pie for Thanksgiving – but don’t have time to make it?
If either of these is tempting, we can help you out! Bells of the Sound is making homemade Apple Pies for Thanksgiving and we’d be delighted to make one for you. Pies will be available on the 15th of November – ready to freeze. Return the completed form to Shirley Lindberg, Bells of the Sound, c/o Tibbetts United Methodist Church, 3941 41st Ave SW, Seattle, 98116; call me at 206-300-5724; or email me at Director@BellsOfTheSound.org for questions or more information. Please pre-order your pie by November 2nd. We only make enough for the pies that have been pre-ordered.
Also, if you love making apple pies, please feel free to email me as well. We have previously made between 600 and 700 pies on our Pie-Making Day – and extra hands are always welcome.
Holiday concerts have also been scheduled, and you can check the Bells of the Sound website for a concert near you. The West Seattle concert is scheduled for Tibbetts United Methodist Church on Friday, December 12th at 7:30 pm.
(WS bridge and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
6:34 AM: Early trouble: Northbound I-5 is backed up to and through downtown because of a jack-knifed semi-truck near Mercer, currently blocking the two left lanes. And if for any reason you are headed this way from north of downtown, the southbound Battery Street Tunnel is closed with a stalled vehicle.
6:43 AM: WSDOT reports tow trucks have pulled the semi out of the way, so now it’s just “residual backup” on northbound I-5. We’ll take the chance to publish this morning’s transportation-news notes:
35TH SW SAFETY PROJECT KICKOFF MEETING TONIGHT: 6:30 pm at Neighborhood House’s High Point Center (6400 Sylvan Way SW), a meeting you could say has been years in the making. This isn’t the unveiling of a plan, according to SDOT, but an “issue identification/feedback session,” as explained a ways down the project’s home page.
7:07 AM: The southbound Battery Street Tunnel has reopened.
‘WHAT TIME DO YOU HIT THE BRIDGE?’: WSB Forums member “Beaglenut” is asking the question here as an informal poll. Come back for the link later and jump into the conversation!
7:47 AM: New truck trouble on NB I-5 into downtown – a stalled semi in the right lane before the Convention Center lid.
8:26 AM: Delridge has been worse than usual, per commenters. Nothing officially on the logs or otherwise mentioned, so we’re not sure if there’s a specific cause besides “terrible commuting morning overall.”
In cheerier news – If you ride ferries or maybe the Vashon Water Taxi, watch again for whales. We reported late-in-the-day sightings yesterday – and now an Orca Network commenter on Facebook has first word of one today, a few whales seen last hour from the Bainbridge ferry.
8:35 AM: Thanks to Dartanyon for the tip via Twitter, if you’re headed toward Beacon Hill: “Disabled Vehicle left lane, Spokane Street between 14th and 15th.”
9:15 AM: SPD tweets that there’s been a spinout in the NORTHBOUND Battery Street Tunnel, with one lane blocked.
9:45 AM: Now **all** northbound lanes of 99 at the tunnel are reported by SDOT to be blocked while tow crews clear everything out.
9:53 AM: All lanes open, per SPD.
3 PM: Various traffic challenges around West Seattle but biggest one is likely to last into the afternoon commute, at last report: 9th SW at Henderson, Barton, Trenton is closed because of a power-pole fire; the pole is going to be replaced, we were told.
Two notes about public-school staff sizes and district changes. First, Seattle Public Schools says the final enrollment counts are in, so it’s making staff-size changes where needed. The Seattle Schools Community Forum website has published the memo from acting Superintendent Dr. Larry Nyland to principals, with these changes for West Seattle-area schools:
Staff reductions – 1.0 FTE (full-time equivalent) at Madison Middle School, 0.6 FTE at Denny International Middle School
Staff increases – 1.0 FTE at Concord International Elementary School, 0.5 FTE at Sanislo Elementary School
The memo did not include enrollment numbers, but we’ll be asking the district for that information.
Meantime, two weeks after the looming loss of one FTE at Gatewood Elementary led to an unprecedented – and successful – fundraising drive, West Seattle’s school board rep Marty McLaren has issued an extensive postmortem on what happened and why. She sent it to her e-mail list (open to all) on Tuesday night. In it, she concludes, “in my opinion, the Seattle Public School District was not remiss in its action of surplusing a Gatewood teacher.” In case you’re not on that list, here is McLaren’s report, embedded below or PDF format here:
Post-season play is getting closer for girls-varsity soccer. For West Seattle High School, two games remain in the regular season after they tied Garfield 2-2 at Walt Hundley Playfield Tuesday afternoon.
Both West Seattle goals were by Katie DuLong; here are the game stats.
This was the last home game in the regular season. Next up, the Wildcats play at Bainbridge on Thursday, 6:15 pm.
Another repeat-offender sentencing to report tonight: After several delays, 43-year-old Bryan Tiedeman has been sentenced in two cases involving stolen cars and drugs. The first time we reported on him, in December of last year, he and an accomplice had been charged in connection with four stolen cars, including the one they crashed on Highland Park Way, leading to their arrest. Tiedeman got out of jail in February, and was arrested again less than three months later in connection with a car stolen from SeaTac and found near his Fauntleroy home. After 17 days in jail in May, he was allowed into a work-release program. Then in June, after missing a hearing related to the 2013 case, he was arrested on warrants in Morgan Junction, at which time a reader sent us this photo:
He’s been in jail since then. In July, he pleaded guilty to charges in both cases, including three counts of possession of a stolen vehicle, taking a motor vehicle without permission, methamphetamine possession, identity theft, unlawful gun possession. On Monday, King County Superior Court Judge Theresa Doyle sentenced him on both sets of charges, with a variety of concurrent sentences that boil down to 51 months in prison – four years and three months, plus restitution to be determined later. At the time of his arrest last year, court documents said Tiedeman had been booked into the King County Jail 34 times in 20 years.
Late in the day, orcas were back in the area, first time since last Friday’s throng, heading south – thanks to @sudsymaggie for tweeting the report! – so if you’re by the water tomorrow, keep watch, and please let us know (text/call 206-293-6302) if you see them. Even though weather made the viewing tougher, orca lovers were somewhat balmed, after the sadness of last night’s report that the Southern Resident Killer Whales’ first baby in two years is missing and presumed dead.
Unlike most of their counterparts, the southern residents subsist on fish, and they are here looking for chum salmon; as of last weekend, the run didn’t yet appear to be plentiful – Guy Smith on Alki Point sent a photo of a purse seiner that he said didn’t seem to be hauling much in on Sunday night (though apparently it did net some fish before departing Monday morning).
Also regarding the chum, our friends at the Kitsap Sun have published this update about how things are looking across the water.
WEDNESDAY MORNING: A sighting was reported from the Bainbridge ferry just after 7 am, by a commenter on the Orca Network FB page, a few orcas headed toward the southwest. Weather’s awfully murky today but conditions can change quickly, so …
(UPDATED Wednesday afternoon with club’s e-mail re: Thursday/Friday closure plan)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
The future of the West Seattle (Athletic) Club should be clearer, for now, by the end of the week.
This Friday (October 24th), as reported here two weeks ago, is the deadline for owner Sam Adams to pay $1.1 million in back rent/other payments to landlord John Pietromonaco, to hold off eviction. According to the court orders stipulating that deadline, a “loan contract already executed by [Adams’s company] Hollystone Holdings” was going to provide that money.
However, with three days to go, he hasn’t paid up, according to Pietromonaco, who we reached by phone this afternoon.
2:53 PM UPDATE: The 10-year-old boy reported missing after not arriving at his school this morning has been found safe, and police say thanks to everyone who helped be on the lookout for him.
EARLIER COVERAGE AFTER JUMP:Read More
Nobody’s hurt, according to police, but a three-car crash at 16th/Myrtle is causing some traffic trouble – as you probably know, that’s on the road to/from South Seattle College (WSB sponsor) and not far from Sanislo Elementary. If you don’t absolutely HAVE to head that way, you might consider waiting a while. Tow crews are on the way.
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