West Seattle, Washington
25 Thursday
One month till West Seattle Summer Fest begins in The Junction – July 13, 14, and 15, those magic days/nights when the streets in the heart of “downtown West Seattle” close for the neighborhood’s biggest party of the year. Today, you can preview the official list of Summer Fest vendors – see the list here. Once you’ve found a vendor that interests you, you can cross-reference their number with their location by zooming in on the map you’ll find here. (WSB, a Summer Fest co-sponsor, will again this year be assisting fairgoers and reporting live from the Information Booth.) The eagerly awaited music list is expected soon; as reported here last week, we know Caspar Babypants will be back, on Friday 7/13 at the community stage on SW Alaska (which is where community performance acts such as dance troupes will be found).
ADDED 1:50 PM: One more local act has announced via Facebook that it’s playing Summer Fest on opening day, too: Branden Daniel and The Chics (2 pm 7/13, they say), featured here back in March because of the West Seattleite-led band’s “Mor Yay” video featuring mostly WS scenery.
(County rendering of Cove Park, after the Barton Pump Station project)
From last night’s Fauntleroy Community Association meeting: The latest timeline for the start of major work for the Barton Pump Station upgrade project – which will close Cove Park north of the ferry dock for about two years – plus, neighborhood traffic/parking concerns related to school commuting via ferry – read on:Read More
Christine shared this photo of Canada geese and goslings by the West Seattle Water Taxi, saying, “Made my kids smile this morning.” Now, on to our slightly delayed daily sample of calendar highlights:
TONIGHT’S TRAFFIC ALERTS: Southbound Alaskan Way Viaduct/Highway 99 is scheduled to close again tonight, 9 pm-5 am, but there will NOT be a Spokane Street Viaduct closure, per the city’s cancellation notice yesterday. Here’s our updated list of closures ahead as the week continues.
KIWANIS CLUB PRESENTS AWARD: At their lunchtime meeting at Be’s Restaurant in The Junction (noon), the Kiwanis Club of West Seattle will present Jack Menashe with their “Everyday Hero” award. All welcome; you don’t have to be a member.
‘IN MOTION,’ THE SEQUEL: King County is working on another “In Motion” campaign for this fall after declaring the transportation-information effort (co-sponsored by WSB) last year as “quite successful,” with more than 1,200 participants. If you would like to talk with county reps about how to make the program – which offers incentives to participants for trying various ways of getting around – come to Youngstown Cultural Arts Center at 6 pm tonight.
K-5 STEM AT BOREN MEET-AND-GREET: Those who are enrolled, or even just interested, in the new West Seattle public school K-5 STEM at Boren are invited to a meet-and-greet event tonight at Madison Middle School (45th/Spokane), 6-8 pm.
34TH DISTRICT DEMOCRATS: Monthly meeting at 7 tonight, The Hall at Fauntleroy (agenda info here).
SEALTH/DENNY BAND CONCERT: The last of three consecutive Wednesday concerts for musicians at Chief Sealth International High School and Denny International Middle School, with band performances planned tonight, 7 pm, Sealth auditorium.
From a report just published on SPD Blotter:
Last night at around 8:30 pm, Southwest Precinct officers responded to a “shots fired” call in the 8100 block of 9th Avenue Southwest [map]. The call stated that a neighbor heard 3 gun shots and then a car speeding away. Officers arrived and contacted a resident. He told officers that he was alone in the house sleeping when he heard a noise at the front door, followed by a loud crash at the back door of the house. The victim walked out of the front door to investigate, and he saw three Asian males, and a black male, all in their teens, running from behind his house. The victim told officers that he yelled at them. One of the males turned around and pointed his arm at the victim. The victim stated that he could not actually see a gun, but saw 2-3 flashes and heard gun shots. According to the victim, the group of teens then ran southbound on 9th Ave SW and then west on SW Thistle Street.
The victim returned to his house and found that the back door had been kicked in. Officers conducted an area search but did not locate the suspects. Officers did, however, locate two shell casings in the area where the victim stated the suspects fired the gun.
Police say they don’t have any additional descriptive information; nobody was hurt.
(WSB photo from 2011 Relay for Life, after participants had been going all night)
Just two days now till the cancer-fighting all-night fundraising Relay for Life at West Seattle Stadium. This morning, Jilyan Perry shares a reminder – and also a request for some volunteer help to set up on Friday afternoon, before it all begins:
West Seattle’s Relay for Life is taking place this Friday at the West Seattle Stadium starting at 6 pm. Relay for Life is an overnight, community based fundraiser for the American Cancer Society. West Seattle’s Relay raised nearly $60,000 last year to help in the fight against cancer. Please come join us for an evening of celebration and remembrance.
Remember – we always need day of volunteers and we welcome anyone in the community to come down and help. Committee members will be arriving at the stadium at 12 pm on Friday. Anyone willing to help is encouraged to just show up.
For more information regarding Relay for Life contact Jilyan.Perry@yahoo.com or visit relayforlife.org
The official West Seattle webpage says more than 240 people are signed up to participate this year. Even if you’re not among them, you’re welcome to stop by the stadium and cheer them on; the event always begins with a “survivors’ lap” on Friday night, and a few hours later, around 10 pm, luminarias are lit around the track in honor of both cancer survivors and those who are being remembered.
One year ago this week, Steve John and family in West Seattle raised money to help his aunt and uncle who were affected by the May 22, 2011, tornado that killed more than 150 people and destroyed thousands of homes in Joplin, Missouri; two of Steve’s neighbors organized a benefit garage sale, and many friends and neighbors donated items to sell. This week, Steve e-mailed WSB to say he wanted to publicly thank everyone again: “I’ll never be able to repay everyone, both here and at my place of work, who pitched to help far away strangers in their time of need” – and to share then-and-now photos of his relatives’ neighborhood. Above, their house post-tornado; ahead, their house now, plus the then-and-now views of their neighborhood:Read More
At left is Lafayette Elementary‘s incoming principal Shauna Heath, with assistant principal Karmen Nordhougen. We photographed them toward the start of tonight’s meet-and-greet event for Heath. It was her first official chance to mingle with the school’s community since her hiring was announced three weeks ago (three months after current principal Jo Lute-Ervin had announced she wasn’t coming back for a second year). As Heath told WSB during a followup interview, she is an Admiral resident, looking forward to biking to work, after two years of commuting to Kent to lead an elementary school there. Her letter to the Lafayette community, looking ahead, is in the newest PTA newsletter (viewable as a PDF, here).
Thanks to April Long for sharing her photo of a rainbow over the West Seattle Water Taxi a little while ago. That led us to check the forecast, which brings good news – the weekend is looking better: “Partly sunny” is now the forecast for both days, starting with Saturday, which is the day of the Westwood Village Street Fair, 10 am-7 pm, including live music, kids’ activities, and more (see you there!), as well as graduation day for both local public high schools. Here’s the latest forecast.
SDOT has just sent word that the Spokane Street Viaduct overnight closures scheduled for later this week have been rescheduled – and that means the reopening of the 1st Avenue South ramp from the eastbound side has been pushed back a few days:
The overnight closure of the eastbound traffic lanes of the Spokane Street Viaduct, along with the left westbound lane, previously scheduled for the nights of Wednesday, June 13, and Thursday, June 14, has been canceled. The closure has tentatively been rescheduled for Monday, June 18, and Tuesday, June 19. The closure will begin at 10 p.m. both nights and continue until 5 a.m. the following morning. (Westbound traffic will be maintained during this period in the remaining westbound lane.)
The previously announced Monday, June 18, overnight closure of the westbound lanes of the Spokane Street Viaduct between I-5 and SR 99 has tentatively been rescheduled for Wednesday, June 20, from 10 p.m. until 5 a.m. on Thursday, June 21.
On the morning of Thursday, June 21, the eastbound off-ramp at First Avenue S will be reopened.
This changes the timetable on the master list of SSV *and* Highway 99 closures that we had published for this week – so we’ll update those and link the revised list here when we’re done.
P.S. If you missed our report from the work zone, published last weekend, check it out here.
It’s graduation season, which means hundreds more West Seattleites are headed for college. If there’s one in your house – 
you might consider packing them off with a copy of Gatewood resident Ellen Bremen‘s new book. It’s called “Say This, NOT That to Your Professor: 36 Talking Tips for College Success,” published by NorLights Press and released nationwide. Ellen is a professor herself – tenured Communication Studies faculty at Highline Community College – so she should know. She writes online, too, as The Chatty Professor. She says her book breaks new ground:
This book is a first in the college success genre to a) tackle the student-professor dynamic (if you can believe that); b) give students the exact appropriate, professional words to say to deal with challenging, but common everyday classroom issues, such as absences, late work, grades, boring classes; and c) lift the veil on college policy in a conversational way that takes students insight the faculty mind, empowering them to feel informed when tackling tough issues or standing up for themselves with professors.
But don’t take her word for it. She’s linked to some reviews, too. You can of course buy the book online.
Got room? A quick announcement:
Pathfinder K-8 School continues to seek host families for 5th grade students from Chengdu China. The students will arrive on July 3rd and depart on July 14th. During weekdays students will attend a special program at Pathfinder School. Evenings and weekends are free for you to explore our culture with your Chinese students. Students come with their own spending money, insurance and a thirst for American experiences. Please contact Lisa Clayton, lclayton@seattleschools.org, ASAP if you are interested.
(From left, Tao and Jason; photos by WSB’s Patrick Sand)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
First, he brought in the Rock-afire Explosion animatronics.
Then, he painted the windows (while leaving peek-a-boo spots through which passersby peer, continually).
He’s on notice his temporary digs at 4724 California SW will be replaced by a 7-story building. (No worries, he’s bought his own building anyway.)
Does Jason Rudolph of Sound Advertising Group sound busy enough to you?
Nah. Now he and two of his team members have launched the West Seattle Podcast.
And they’re inviting you in to see it all – and be part of it all! – during this Thursday’s West Seattle Art Walk.
This Thursday, Seattle City Council President Sally Clark is the guest speaker at the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce‘s monthly lunch – and you don’t have to be a member to attend, Chamber president Dave Montoure reminds us. So he’s issuing an invitation to anybody interested – not just to come listen, but to ask questions during the Q/A section of lunch. Want to ask about development? Job creation? Transportation? Or? Be at The Kenney (WSB sponsor; 7125 Fauntleroy Way SW), 11:30 am-1 pm this Thursday. If you’re a Chamber member, the cost for lunch is $25; if not, $35, and everyone has to RSVP – you can do it online or call the Chamber office at 206-932-5685.
After a burglary wave a few months back, some promising news about crime was heartening to the 20-plus people in attendance at last night’s Pigeon Point Neighborhood Council meeting.
Southwest Precinct operations Lt. Pierre Davis said West Seattle-area burglaries/car prowls were at a “historic low” in May – “the bad guys just aren’t playing here right now.” The Pigeon Point neighborhood itself is “pretty quiet right now,” he added. Attendees were invited to ask questions – and their biggest concerns involved speeding through the neighborhood (which includes a couple of straightaways). Before Lt. Davis left, a meeting attendee called out that he wanted to express thanks for everything that Seattle Police have done while being “severely tested” recently – and that sparked a round of applause.
Much of the rest of the meeting included other public-safety topics, from Block Watches to traffic calming:Read More
Just in case we don’t get to see the Olympics today, there’s a photo we took Monday morning. Otherwise, there’s no looking back – lots going on tonight. From the WSB West Seattle Events Calendar, some highlights for today/tonight:
TONIGHT’S TRAFFIC ALERT: Another overnight closure planned for the southbound Alaskan Way Viaduct/Highway 99 stretch between Battery St. Tunnel and West Seattle Bridge, 9 pm-5 am (here’s our full list of this week’s closures, including the all-weekend, both-ways AWV/99 closure).
PRE-MEETING POTLUCK FOR ADMIRAL NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION: This isn’t business as usual for ANA, but president Katy Walum said at last week’s Admiral District business gathering that given recent troubling events around the city, it might be a good time for people to get to know each other better, spend a little more time face-to-face, rather than just rushing in at the last minute and jumping right into a meeting. So at 6 pm, lower-level meeting room at Admiral Congregational Church (California/Hill), you’re invited to a potluck – bring something to share – before tonight’s 7 pm meeting. You can even come to the potluck and not stay for the meeting. More info in this update on the ANA website.
‘FINDING KIND’ AT MADISON: Free screening of “a great film to watch with your favorite student,” as organizers describe it, 6:30 pm, Madison Middle School (45th/Spokane) – details here.
PREPAREDNESS CLASS: Tonight at High Point Library Branch (35th/Raymond), Seattle Neighborhoods Actively Prepare (SNAP) offers a free class. 6:30 pm, details here.
LEARN ABOUT JUICING: Tammy at Alki Juice and Java across from Seacrest Boathouse invites you to a free 6:30 class tonight – details here.
DESC PROJECT ADVISORY COMMITTEE: Members of the community advisory committee for DESC’s Delridge Supportive Housing project toured two of the agency’s buildings last week and will present a briefing tonight, along with a discussion of how DESC screens tenants. 6:30 pm, Youngstown Cultural Arts Center (4408 Delridge Way SW).
MEET LAFAYETTE ELEMENTARY’S NEW PRINCIPAL: 3 weeks after the announcement that Shauna Heath will lead Lafayette Elementary School next year (here’s our followup interview with her), tonight she’ll be at a “meet and greet” for the school community, 6:30 pm (details here).
CHIEF SEALTH’S LAST PTSA MEETING OF THE YEAR: Cupcakes at 6:45 pm, Chief Sealth International High School PTSA meeting at 7. Agenda details are in our calendar listing. (2600 SW Thistle)
WEST SEATTLE WRITERS: Monthly meeting, 7 pm, Ginomai (42nd/Genesee) – details here, including a request to bring work to read to the group.
FAUNTLEROY COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION: Its monthly board meeting is at 7 pm tonight, Fauntleroy Schoolhouse (9131 California SW), all who live/work in Fauntleroy always welcome.
SCHMITZ PARK SHAKESPEARE: Schmitz Park Elementary teacher Craig Parsley sends word that his students’ annual Shakespeare performance is tonight, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” onstage in the SP cafeteria, 7 pm (and they’re performing for their fellow students at 1 pm), 5000 SW Spokane.
DJ NIGHT AT THE RINK: Two West Seattle-based DJs bring music – and visuals – to Southgate Roller Rink tonight, 8:30-11 pm. Details here.
STARLITE SINGER/SONGWRITERS’ NIGHT: Tonight and every Tuesday night at Shadowland, 9 pm.
(TOPLINE: 5 teenagers, reported at the scene to be celebrating the end of the school year at an Auburn high school, went to the hospital after someone added some kind of “accelerant” to a fire in an Alki Beach fire pit, resulting in what witnesses described as an “explosion.”)
(1st 2 photos by Christopher Boffoli for WSB)
9:12 PM: We’re arriving at Alki where multiple emergency crews are tending to what we are told may be a case of someone with burn injuries … more momentarily. It’s happening at 59th and Alki SW – police are handling traffic control in the area – steer clear of there TFN. One witness describes what happened as a “fire pit explosion” and we are told more than one person has been transported to the hospital.
9:19 PM: Nearby resident Ben Hutchinson reports what he saw, and shares two photos:
About 20 minutes ago (20 minutes before the time of me sending this email), I was sitting in my room using my computer, when I heard a loud explosion. It sounded like maybe an illegal large/homemade firework exploding. I went outside to see what was going on. From the balcony of my apartment, I saw some burning material outside the fire ring just to the left of the fire ring. It appeared to be in the middle of the pile of belongings that the group of people had who were at the fire ring. Also to the right of the fire ring, I saw some burning material about 20 feet away. They people were throwing sand on, and stomping on the fire to put it out. I quickly pulled out my cellphone and to a picture on the phone’s camera, but they’d put out the fire by the time I pulled it out.
Other witnesses tell us at least two people were transported. We’ll be adding Ben’s photos shortly.
9:24 PM UPDATE: Christopher Boffoli was the first photojournalist there for WSB and tells us that fire crews told him five people have been taken to Harborview Medical Center with burns. He was also told that this was an end-of-year gathering involving students from Auburn; someone threw gasoline on a bonfire, and that’s what led to what multiple witnesses describe to us as an “explosion.”
10 PM UPDATE: Still awaiting info from formal briefing by Seattle Fire. Some online discussion cites witnesses as saying it was a “gas can,” not fluid itself – we’ll find out soon what SFD has determined.
10:21 PM UPDATE: Briefing by SFD spokesperson Kyle Moore is over. He says the five victims are all “high-school age” – two males taken by SFD medic unit have serious burns, two other male victims and one female with less-serious burns were transported to hospital(s) by private ambulances. Investigators are still trying to officially determine exactly what the “accelerant” and reported container were; the fire marshal is en route to the hospital to interview the victims who are OK enough to talk with him. We have the full briefing on video and will upload it to add here when our crew is back.
11:28 PM UPDATE: Seattle Fire has posted its account – only new information includes the degree of burns, 2nd and 3rd degree for the boys described as seriously burned. (Above this line, we’ve added the unedited video of the SFD briefing.)
TUESDAY MORNING: Police have also posted their online account; its only new detail is affirmation that their Arson/Bomb Squad is handling the followup investigation.
By Megan Sheppard
On the WSBeat, for West Seattle Blog
As always, the WSBeat summaries are from reports on cases handled recently by Southwest Precinct officers, incidents of note that (usually) have not already appeared here in breaking-news coverage or West Seattle Crime Watch reports, but that might at least answer the question “what WERE all those police doing on my block (whenever)?”:
*A recent Monday, around 8 p.m., a citizen yelled at some suspicious teens who were lurking in bushes near 30th and Roxbury. The three boys began cursing at her, but only one remained after she revealed that cops were on the way. He squared off against the 62-year-old and took a swing, landing a glancing blow on her chest. In return, she — quoting the police report — “jabbed him in the chest with a left, on the nose with a right, and then kneed him in the groin.” After running away, the underage, drunk, and combative trio tried to hide in some blackberry bushes. Stumbling and tripping, they were transported to the Southwest Precinct, where one vomited in the holding cell. Released to their parents, they face investigation of obstruction and minor-in-possession of alcohol. The third will also face questions about his failure at fisticuffs and might be charged with assault.
*Feeling that his tile saw was heavy enough to stymie any would-be thieves, a citizen left it in the bed of his pickup truck, which was parked in his driveway in the 3400 block of 41st SW. Overnight on the 30th, someone managed to lug it away without being detected.
Eight more summaries ahead:Read More
Still have room in your summer-camp program? Let us know – we’re putting together a list this week. For starters, here’s an update from Chief Sealth International High School basketball coach Colin Slingsby:
Sealth Basketball and Life Skills Camp is hosting three sessions this summer, and registration is still open for all sessions! The dates are as follows:
Session 1- June 25th to June 29th (about 20 spots left!)
Session 2- July 9th to July 13th
Session 3- August 6th to August 10thHere is a direct link to the camp brochure and registration info.
Notice the new “furniture” in Junction Plaza Park – tables and chairs for sitting outside with food, drink, friends, etc.? We got a tip the other day (thanks!) wondering if it was something “official” or if someone unofficially just set it out. This afternoon, Susan Melrose of the West Seattle Junction Association confirms it was placed there by WSJA – just in time for summer.
For the second time in a little more than a month, Tony’s Market at 35th/Barton has been broken into. This time, the report comes from SPD Blotter, which says that once police found the intruders, they also found evidence of what writer Jonah Spangenthal-Lee calls a “food fight”:
As the officer pulled up to the market, he found fruit and vegetables strewn in and around the business, and in the middle of the street.
Officers searched inside the market, found two men hiding under tables, and arrested them.
SPD Blotter says a third man was arrested for “obstruction.” We reported in early May on another break-in at the market, but one that didn’t involve the kind of damage reported here.
WSDOT just sent this alert: “On I-5 southbound just south of West Seattle Bridge (MP 162) there is a collision blocking the 3 left lanes.” If you’re about to head in that direction, you might consider an alternate route.
4:16 PM UPDATE: This won’t be a problem for the evening commute – it was moved to the shoulder, per a WSDOT tweet last hour.
If an ad that just appeared on Craigslist in Seattle is for real, someone appears to be planning a political protest of sorts during this year’s Seafair Pirates Landing, coming up July 7th on Alki. Thanks to Diane for spotting the ad; it offers T-shirts (“sure to be a collectors item”) and $20 to each of up to 125 people who will be hired for: “Holding a sign and/or passing out info sheets requesting that the laws of the state of Washington and the City of Seattle should apply to all.” The ad also says organizers are “expecting national TV coverage.” We’ve sent a note to the blind-box address in the ad, which also includes an ad for a mail drop in Lake City. While we continue poking around for clues and awaiting a possible reply, thought we would throw it out to you – know what this is about? If you don’t want to leave a comment, you’re also welcome to e-mail editor@westseattleblog.com.
Josh Sutton from the West Seattle Y (WSB sponsor) caught this view of an unusual sight at the development site across the street from the Y’s HQ in The Triangle – a spiral staircase being hoisted into place. The 62-apartment development at 36th/Snoqualmie is Harbor/Urban‘s Nova, one of three major developments under construction in West Seattle right now, along with Youngstown Flats (26th/Dakota in North Delridge) and Oregon 42 (where the recent 3-home demolition is over and excavation is beginning) at 42nd/Oregon in The Junction.
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