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West Seattle whale watching: Orcas not too far away
February 1, 2014 3:24 pm
|    Comments Off on West Seattle whale watching: Orcas not too far away
 |   Seen at sea | West Seattle news | Wildlife

There’s a chance we will see orcas off our shores before the day’s out, according to sightings reported on the Orca Network Facebook page – they’ve been seen as close as south Bainbridge Island. Conflicting reports about which direction they’re heading, so we’re sharing this alert just in case. Please let us know if you see them from West Seattle – 206-293-6302 is our breaking-news line, text or voice any time – thanks!

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West Seattle Crime Watch: South Delridge robbery, search
February 1, 2014 1:02 pm
|      9 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | West Seattle news | WS breaking news

(WSB photos, added 1:44 pm)
1:02 PM: Police are looking right now for someone who is reported to have held up or tried to hold up a neighborhood grocery store in the 9000 block of 16th SW. He is described as a white man, about 18 years old, six feet tall, heavy, with a white hoodie and blue jeans, and a “small black gun,” last seen heading eastbound on Henderson. More as we get it.

1:10 PM: From scanner – the robber might be in the company of a young woman about the same age, also in a white hoodie, possibly carrying a guitar case. A K-9 team has arrived to help with the search.

1:49 PM: The K-9 team reported the trail ran out between two nearby houses, and has departed. No word of arrests so far.

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Video: See Guardian One’s aerial view of auto-theft suspect on the run in West Seattle
February 1, 2014 11:03 am
|      27 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | West Seattle news

Following up on our as-it-happened coverage from last night – the King County Sheriff’s Office Air Support Unit has published video with the Guardian One helicopter’s infrared view of last night’s stolen-SUV incident southwest of The Junction. The audio is exactly what could be heard on the scanner as this all moved toward the 4800 block of 47th SW, including the stolen Chevrolet Tahoe crashing through a fence and its driver running. We’re checking to see if we can find out more about him. Thanks to commenter Lola for spotting the video and sharing word of it in the 140+-comment thread following last night’s coverage. Again, as police confirmed to us on the scene last night and reiterated in today’s SPD Blotter summary, they were alerted to the stolen vehicle by a LoJack signal – here’s the explanation of how that works.

P.S. We’re still checking into the record of the 32-year-old man booked into jail for investigation of burglary and auto theft. It’s long. Will add details as we pull them out.

2:56 PM UPDATE: Most of his record – 38 cases in the Washington State court-system files – is from outside King County (mostly Pierce County) so the documents are not so easy to come by. The most recent King County Superior Court cases is from 2008, when charges were filed in a 2005 Bellevue “trafficking in stolen property” case. A pickup truck stolen in Bellevue was found – but minus UW Huskies football season tickets that had been in the truck. The tickets were sold to someone via Craigslist, and that’s how detectives tracked down this man – who already by that point had a record including assault, theft, drugs, and forgery – and a female accomplice.

Meantime, back on 47th SW, as noted in comments, neighbors banded together today and did some cleanup, including putting temporary fencing up around a pool that the stolen pickup almost crashed into:

After we visited the neighborhood and took that photo, we heard from neighbor Jeff, who said he found evidence of the gunshot that many neighbors heard last night – he sent this photo:

Jeff said, “I’m the neighbor whose yard he ran through and this is my gate this morning. I could dig the bullet out of the post with a little patience.” We’ll continue to follow up on this case.

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West Seattle Saturday: Super Bowl Eve and more
February 1, 2014 10:57 am
|    Comments Off on West Seattle Saturday: Super Bowl Eve and more
 |   West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

Here a 12, there a 12, everywhere a 12 … Thanks to Gary Jones for sharing that photo of the Alki Point Lighthouse shining a beacon of Seahawks spirit.

For the full list of what’s up today/tonight, we point you to the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar – which includes:

*Help with college applications, 1-6 pm @ West Seattle Library (2306 42nd SW)

*Lunar New Year celebration (lion dance, and more) @ Pho Aroma at 2 pm (Delridge/Findlay)

*West Seattle Meaningful Movies presents “Broken on All Sides,” 7 pm at Neighborhood House’s High Point Center (6400 Sylvan Way SW)

*Still getting ready for your Super Bowl party? Check our special West Seattle Super Bowl page for takeout deals, decorations, or where to watch the game (including all-ages and non-bar venues) if you’re NOT having a party.

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Update: Crash on 35th SW cleared
February 1, 2014 8:40 am
|      20 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

(Photo shared by Laura via Facebook)
8:40 AM: Thanks to the tipster who just texted about this: If you’re heading southbound out on 35th SW any time soon, there’s a 2-car crash at 35th and Austin (map).

8:47 AM UPDATE: This is affecting traffic in both directions; we’re off to check.

9:09 AM UPDATE: Added a photo.

(WSB photo by Patrick Sand)
No serious injuries reported. As the photo shows, it’s right by the Sunrise Heights business district, and tow trucks are already starting to clear the scene; in the meantime, there’s one lane open on the east side of the road, and police were working to make sure buses could get through.

9:23 AM UPDATE: Thanks to Laura for sharing the photo we’ve added atop the story, an overview of the scene fairly early on.

9:46 AM: Just went back to check; the scene is now clear.

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High-school swimming: Chief Sealth wins meet vs. WSHS
February 1, 2014 8:35 am
|    Comments Off on High-school swimming: Chief Sealth wins meet vs. WSHS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle schools | WS & Sports

Friday was a big night for high-school sports, starting with swimming – last dual meet of the year for Chief Sealth International High School, as Trisha Montemayor reports:

Chief Sealth hosted West Seattle, winning the meet. It was Senior Night for Sealth, recognizing the following seniors: Carlos Montemayor, Michael Stewart, John Woefel, Chris Rodriquez, Anthony George, Danica Langaynor, Kenaia Neumann, Rachel Varney and Katy Carter.

Here are the results:

(If you can’t see the embedded document above, view it as PDF by clicking here.) Metro League competition is Friday-Saturday, February 7-8; Trisha notes, “Chief Sealth will be will be well-represented at this meet.”

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West Seattle traffic alert: Low bridge back to normal operation, post-dredging
February 1, 2014 12:29 am
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news

Just confirmed by SDOT: The Spokane Street Swing Bridge (aka the West Seattle “low bridge”) is back to normal operations after dredging put it out of vehicle/bike/pedestrian service for about four hours.

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Update: Suspect in custody after helicopter/ground search finds stolen vehicle
January 31, 2014 9:11 pm
|      152 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | Helicopter | West Seattle news

(TOPLINE: Suspect in custody, 2 1/2 hours after crashing stolen vehicle and breaking into his former home)

(Thanks to commenter Koleah for the photo)
9:11 PM: Just in case you’re wondering … we’re hearing it right over us but not sure yet what it’s up to.

9:21 PM UPDATE: Sounds like the search involves a suspected stolen car.

9:27 PM UPDATE: As noted by commenters, this is centered southwest of The Junction. From scanner, sounds like the vehicle’s been found.

9:34 PM UPDATE: Also sounds as if they believe they know where the suspect is. A K-9 team is joining the search.

9:51 PM UPDATE: No word of arrests yet. But the helicopter is moving on.

10:01 PM UPDATE: This isn’t resolved yet but might go on a while. We have a crew back in the area to see if they can find out anything more.

10:19 PM UPDATE: We talked to police in the area. Despite some neighbors believing they heard a shot, police said there have been no shots fired – the sound was likely the crash through a fence from the start of all this, which is centered in the 4800 block of 47th SW. Here’s how Guardian One describes it via Twitter:

In response to a question, the Guardian One tweeter followed up with “drove through a fence trying to back away from officers.”
10:45 PM: Here’s the stolen vehicle, a Tahoe – thanks to the neighbor who pointed us to it:

(This and subsequent photos by WSB’s Patrick Sand)
You can see the fence through which it crashed – beneath the vehicle.

11:25 PM UPDATE: We’re back in the area to check on the situation. The block where this is happening (4800 block of 47th) is now blocked off with yellow tape. A K-9 officer is in the area.

11:38 PM UPDATE: Just talked again with police – lots of new information. They say the suspect is in the house – and that he used to live there. He broke a window to get in tonight after driving the stolen car to this neighborhood; the people who were inside, who know him but are no longer on friendly terms, according to police, got out safely. Police also confirmed something we thought we’d heard in scanner traffic earlier – that the stolen vehicle turned up via signal from Lojack. One more thing – contrary to what we were told at the scene earlier, now they ARE investigating what they describe as the possible accidental discharge of a gun, but no one has been shot and no one is hurt. Still a developing situation.

11:42 PM UPDATE: Police report they have the suspect in custody.

8:50 AM SATURDAY: This is now on SPD Blotter – but nothing new beyond the information we learned at the scene just before the arrest.

10:54 AM: Thanks to Lola for pointing in comments to the video posted from Guardian One – what was happening while this coverage was starting last night. Will post it separately shortly but for starters, see it here.

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Video: 14-month sentence for Kalameu Paulo, drunk driver who seriously hurt 2
January 31, 2014 7:33 pm
|      23 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | West Seattle news

(Paulo at right, with her lawyer, and prosecutor Amy Freedheim at left)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

“You took his life – the life Logan had.”

That’s what the family of 29-year-old Logan Wicker, one of two people critically injured when a drunk driver T-boned his car in South Delridge last June, told that driver, 25-year-old Kalameu Paulo of Seatac, in a tearful King County Superior Court sentencing hearing this afternoon.

Logan, who spent more than three months in the hospital, spoke too: “My life was really good before … it’s been changed (forever) … I hope she can never do this to anybody again.” He begins our 23-minute unedited video of all who spoke at the hearing, including, at the end, the judge:

Though she chose not to speak, the other victim in the crash was in the courtroom too. After hearing about the effects of what he acknowledged was a “shattering … tragedy,” Judge Dean Lum formally sentenced Paulo to the recommended 14-month term, though he wondered aloud, “Is this justice? I don’t know.”

As reported here last month, Paulo struck a plea bargain, pleading guilty to two counts of vehicular assault, with prosecutors dropping a third charge of hit-and-run.

But that was the crime, as the deputy prosecuting attorney told Judge Lum, that disturbed Logan’s family the most – “disgust(ed)” them, as Logan’s stepfather put it; the night of the crash, according to the police report, she and her passengers got out of her van after she ran a stop sign and crashed into Logan’s car at 17th and Cambridge.

(WSB photo from June 23, 2013; victims’ car is out of view, blocked by the van)
They were stopped by police as they walked westbound across Delridge Way.

Paulo spent two and a half weeks in jail after being arrested last June and has been in the day-reporting CCAP program since, while undergoing alcohol treatment, her lawyer said. She was taken into custody at the end of the hearing, to start her sentence immediately, and the King County Jail Register confirms she was re-booked as of midafternoon. When she is released from jail, she will be in “community custody” – probation – for more than a year; she also faces a long list of other sanctions and conditions, including restitution payments to be determined later.

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West Seattle Super Bowl spirit: Friday afternoon quarterbacking
January 31, 2014 4:56 pm
|      10 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | WS & Sports

Greg shared two photos, explaining:

Living on Manning Street is not fun this weekend …

So, we made a little adjustment …

Much better!

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West Seattle Super Bowl spirit: 12th Man on campus!
January 31, 2014 3:26 pm
|    Comments Off on West Seattle Super Bowl spirit: 12th Man on campus!
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle schools | WS & Sports

Lots of spirit around town – especially at schools. Our photo roundup starts at South Seattle Community College (WSB sponsor):

Big group photo outside the library at noontime. And yes, even SSCC president Gary Oertli is in 12 Mode:

Of course there was a flag – as you’ll see in our video:

Student Services team members who helped rally everyone included Christie Williams:

Other schools in Fan Mode – Alki Elementary (photo taken Thursday, since school’s out today):

(Thanks to Hominee for the photo)
Hope Lutheran School – this is also a Thursday photo but school IS in session today and we’re told it’s Blue Friday all the way:

(Thanks to Sally for the photo)
And from West Seattle Montessori (WSB sponsor), a tailgate party for the young fans:

(Thanks to WSMS for the photo)
Still adding to our Super Bowl page … if you have news of anything from Super Bowl viewing parties to special takeout deals for Sunday to businesses closing early (or all day) to Seahawks gear … let us know! we’re continuing to update through early Sunday. editor@westseattleblog.com – thank you!

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Southwest Design Review Board doubleheader, report #2: First proposal for former Charlestown Café site sent back for another try
January 31, 2014 12:16 pm
|      14 COMMENTS
 |   Development | West Seattle news

Does that look to you like three different size/shape options?

It didn’t, to the Southwest Design Review Board, which told the project team for 3824 California SW – the site that’s been vacant since the Charlestown Café‘s 2011 closure – to go back to the drafting board and try again.

Last night’s review was the first one for the plan first reported here last June – 30 townhouses/live-work units filling the site between Charlestown, California, Bradford, and an alley lined with single-family homes on 42nd SW. (Here’s the design packet as presented to the board; this project’s developer is Intracorp, which also is behind 3210 California SW, the block-long mixed-use building that returns to Design Review next week.)

Read More

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Highway 99 tunnel update: A few more feet, then too much heat
January 31, 2014 11:27 am
|      17 COMMENTS
 |   Alaskan Way Viaduct | West Seattle news

Another notable update this morning from WSDOT regarding the Highway 99 tunneling machine: It did go a few more feet this week – and then “above-normal temperature readings in part of the machinery” led to a decision to stop it, again. So now what? Says the update: “Over the next week, outside tunneling experts brought in by WSDOT will meet with the WSDOT and STP project teams to review the situation and determine the best path forward.”

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West Seattle Super Bowl spirit: Ferries ‘renamed’ for Seahawks
January 31, 2014 9:40 am
|      11 COMMENTS
 |   Seen at sea | West Seattle news | WS & Sports

Fauntleroy's 12th man

(M/V Tillikum, aka Michael Robinson, with Seahawks-fan flags in September; photo by Paul Brannan)
Washington State Ferries is honorarily and temporarily renaming its vessels after Seahawks on Super Bowl Sunday, according to this news release. The big names go to the boats on the big routes, like Seattle-Bainbridge; for the three vessels currently on the Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth route, you will be traveling Sunday on:

M/V Issaquah: “M/V Russell Okung”

M/V Klahowya: “M/V Bruce Irvin”

M/V Tillikum: “M/V Michael Robinson”

(Full list here.) We will be adding this to the WSB West Seattle Super Bowl page – where we’re collecting a variety of Big Game-related info (and updating until game day – editor@westseattleblog.com – thanks!).

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West Seattle businesses: The Westy hits one goal, aims beyond
January 31, 2014 9:15 am
|    Comments Off on West Seattle businesses: The Westy hits one goal, aims beyond
 |   West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

It’s not ready for game-watching this time, but when the Seahawks return to the Super Bowl NEXT YEAR … viewing venues are likely to include The Westy Sports and Spirits, under construction at 7908 35th SW. Its crowdfunding campaign – loans, not donations, as reported here four weeks ago – just passed its first goal and is still in play, as co-proprietor Paul Ritums explains:

It has been an exciting month for Seattle Sports fans and it all culminates with the Seahawks playing in the Super Bowl this Sunday. While we are all anxiously awaiting kickoff on Feb 2nd, scoping out the prime spots at the bar or preparing our cheering section, The Westy Sports & Spirits is finishing its scoring drive. As of this printing we have scored a touchdown and reached our minimum goal of $20,000 through our Community Sourced Capital campaign. We want to thank all of our friends, family, and the community for participating and helping us to get closer to opening our doors.

It has been a privilege to be CSC’s first brand-new business and see the whole process unfold before us. With reaching our minimum we have guaranteed that the loan will be fulfilled, but we aren’t done yet. We are entering overtime, as our campaign ends just before the Seahawks storm the field. Our maximum target for our campaign is $40,000 and it would be great to see how close we can get in the remaining few days. The Seahawks and their fans wouldn’t settle for a tie, but go for the big win, and we aim to do the same.

This crowdfunding campaign is different from the rest, as with this campaign, whatever you contribute, you get back 100%. And all of our supporters will be rewarded for their efforts. So please take the time to check out the campaign page.

With everyone’s continued support, this time next year, West Seattle will have another prime location for the 12th Man to scope out a spot at the bar and cheer on the soon to be defending Super Bowl Champions.

Go Hawks!

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TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Friday updates; low-bridge closure tonight
January 31, 2014 7:21 am
|    Comments Off on TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Friday updates; low-bridge closure tonight
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

7:15 AM: Good morning! Nothing out of the ordinary reported so far on the outbound-from-West Seattle routes. Here are the two main bridge cameras:

And the northbound view onto the south end of the Alaskan Way Viaduct:

You can see more cameras, and other info, on the WSB Traffic page. Now to the bridge reminder:

LOW BRIDGE CLOSED TONIGHT: SDOT has updated its alert about the low bridge’s closure 8 pm-midnight tonight for dredging. Motor vehicles can use the high bridge instead, but since that bridge cannot be used by bicycles or pedestrians, the city has added some information about alternatives.

NO CLASSES TODAY @ SEATTLE PUBLIC SCHOOLS: It’s the “day between semesters” and SPS students are out, so take that into account as you travel around today.

REMINDER FOR *NEXT* WEEK: Highway 99 SOUTH of the West Seattle Bridge will be closed in both directions 10 pm Friday, February 7th, to 7 am Saturday, February 8th, for one of the final major phases of the “Timber Bridge” replacement project.

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Anybody have anything to say about who should run SPD? Hello?
January 31, 2014 1:30 am
|      12 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle police

It’s a question almost no one in West Seattle wanted to answer in public, apparently: What do you want in a new Seattle Police Chief?

Thursday night, the citywide tour seeking answers to that question made its West Seattle stop, at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center. We counted one member of the general public. The participant wanted a chief who will support the officers, and who will talk about the positive things police do in the community, on and off the job. All duly noted:

The community advisory committee helping with the search has a high-profile cast. Former King County Executive Ron Sims is a co-chair; at the Youngstown meeting, he declared the new chief should be the best police chief in America. Former City Councilmember Tina Podlodowski, appointed by the mayor to lead police-reform work, was there too, explaining the process.

Right now, Harry Bailey is serving as interim chief, but not a candidate for the permanent job – he came out of retirement to do it temporarily. Mayor Murray has said he wants to hire a permanent chief fast – by April. Missing the meeting doesn’t mean you missed a chance to have a say, though – you can answer survey questions here.

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West Seattle road safety: Temporary speed signs on 35th SW; flashing beacons for 3 school zones
January 30, 2014 10:22 pm
|      16 COMMENTS
 |   Safety | Transportation | West Seattle news

We’ve talked a lot about road safety here – and this week, new signage in multiple areas of West Seattle is being noticed. First, in the wake of the most recent discussions about 35th Avenue SW, temporary signage has been brought in. SDOT‘s Jim Curtin explains:

Two Speed Watch Trailers were recently deployed to 35th Avenue SW in an effort to reduce speeds on the corridor. These devices detect and display the speed of oncoming vehicles and provide direct feedback to drivers about their speed. They do not record data but raise awareness about speeds on this principal arterial roadway. Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) studies show that these signs generally result in speed reductions in the range of 1 to 7 mph. In Seattle, our experiences with these devices typically result in speed reductions of 3 to 5 mph and significant reductions in the number of people traveling 10+ miles per hour over the speed limit. These function in a similar manner to the permanent radar speed signs that exist in four locations on 35th Avenue SW.

The portable speed watch trailers will remain in place for the next week or two and will be deployed periodically on the corridor. At this point, we are evaluating other measures that might help address speeding and other safety concerns on 35th.

Meantime, the online petition launched by neighborhood advocates on Tuesday passed 500 signatures today.

SCHOOL-ZONE BEACONS: We’ve been working on a closer look at safety concerns on Delridge by the Boren school building, which houses K-5 STEM now and will also be temporary home to Arbor Heights Elementary for the next school year. Halfway through the second year of classes there, Boren is finally getting flashing lights – “beacons” – to warn drivers about the school zone.

Robin Graham from the K-5 STEM PTA shared that photo of installation that was under way today. After hearing from a reader about an installation under way on California SW near Gatewood Elementary, we checked with SDOT’s Brian Dougherty to ask for the big picture:

There are three new sets of flashing school zone beacons being installed this month in West Seattle. They are located at:

· Delridge Way SW approaching SW Juneau St for the STEM (and future Arbor Heights) School
· SW Thistle approaching 26th Ave SW for Denny Middle School and Chief Sealth High School
· California Ave SW approaching SW Frontenac St for Gatewood Elementary

None of these will include permanent automated speed-enforcement cameras at this time. The beacons have all been installed and there is some sign work that needs to occur before the beacons can be turned on. The sign work is scheduled to occur in February and I expect the beacons will be fully functional sometime around March 1st. This spring, we will ask Seattle Police to conduct targeted enforcement to remind drivers not to exceed 20 mph when the lights are flashing.

There are two other spots where speed cameras ARE on the way – as previously reported – on SW Roxbury by Roxhill Elementary and Holy Family School. As of our most recent check, those are not expected to be in operation until this fall, as the next school year begins.

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Southwest Design Review Board doubleheader, report #1: 4505 42nd SW told to come back for 2nd round of ‘early guidance’
January 30, 2014 8:14 pm
|      8 COMMENTS
 |   Development | West Seattle news

(Option 1 – with elements the board said it preferred over the project team’s preferred Option 3)
In the first of two Southwest Design Review Board sessions tonight, board members called for a second round of Early Design Guidance for 4505 42nd SW, a site that’s steps away from where the board convened (upper floor of the Senior Center of West Seattle).

This phase of design review is about a building’s “massing” – its size and shape – so that’s what was addressed by most of the “design packet” is here. For the mixed-use building, it’s “the very beginning” of the process, as city planner Beth Hartwick explained to attendees – a single-digit turnout, unlike many recent SWDRB meetings, even counting project team members including site owner Leon Capelouto.

With the guidance offered tonight, its height and number of units are in play – at least seven stories and at least 50 units, though how much more, depends on how the next round goes.

Read More

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The WSBeat: Stolen-car stop; dog owner threatened; more
January 30, 2014 3:52 pm
|      65 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle police | WSBeat

By Megan Sheppard
On the WSBeat, for West Seattle Blog

This edition of The WSBeat contains summaries written from reports on cases handled recently by Southwest Precinct officers – generally cases 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?” Or on the bridge, or the beach, or …

*Around 5 p.m. on the 28th, a plainclothes officer radioed that he had run across and was keeping an eye on a car that had been reported as stolen. Three people climbed into the vehicle (parked in the 4100 block of SW Lander) and officers followed it eastbound on Admiral Way, hitting their lights when it pulled near a cafe parking lot under Spokane St. The 20-year-old driver and a 19-year-old female passenger were both West Seattle residents. He had no license and she was already under supervision by the Department of Corrections. Both were booked into King County Jail for investigation of auto theft. He faces additional charges for violating a protection order to stay away from the woman; she faces additional charges for violating probation. The third passenger, a Ballard resident, was released from the precinct.

*On the 24th, in the 4000 block of Beach Drive, a man let his dog out of his apartment. The dog ran up to and started barking at a man who was walking up from the beach. That man yelled, “Get your dog away from me.” The owner called the dog, which responded and stood behind him. The suspect approached and said, “Keep him away from me or I will kill you and the dog.” The yelling continued, and the suspect pushed the victim several times in the chest and dared him to call the police. The suspect was described as a white man, 50-64 years old, about 5’10” with medium build, short brown curly hair. He wore glasses and remains at large.

Four more summaries ahead:Read More

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Update: Former West Seattleite Amanda Knox ‘frightened and saddened’ by new verdict
January 30, 2014 1:22 pm
|      85 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle people

1:22 PM: Though an appeals court overturned the original “guilty” verdict against former West Seattle resident Amanda Knox in 2011, the latest court to take up the case has just changed that back to “guilty.” Knox, now 26, was not required to return to Italy for the trial, though her co-defendant and former boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito did appear in court, as did relatives of murder victim Meredith Kercher. Now the question is whether and when Italian authorities will seek to have Knox extradited to serve a 28-year prison term. “They’ll have to catch me and pull me back kicking and screaming into a prison that I don’t deserve to be in,” she was quoted as telling British newspaper The Guardian in a pre-verdict interview (see video on their site).

2:25 PM: Knox has released a statement that is published in full on another British news site, The Telegraph. In part, she said: “I am frightened and saddened by this unjust verdict. Having been found innocent before, I expected better from the Italian justice system. … My family and I have suffered greatly from this wrongful persecution. This has gotten out of hand.” The Telegraph also reports: “Shortly after the verdict, Knox left her mother’s home with her head covered in a blanket and was driven away in a Lincoln Town Car.”

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PHOTOS/VIDEO: Giant 12th Man flag at West Seattle Corporate Center
January 30, 2014 1:02 pm
|      10 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | WS & Sports

(Video by Craig Baerwaldt, added 4:07 pm)
West Seattle’s most famous flagpole now flies the blue 12th Man logo – in a big way:

(Photos by Christopher Boffoli and Patrick Sand for WSB)
Hundreds of people came to West Seattle Corporate Center, to see it go up:

Ex-Seahawks Jack “The Throwin’ Samoan” Thompson and Robbie Tobeck raised it, with assistance from Paul McNicholas (below center), chief engineer for Development Services of America, which manages the building:

DSA is one of the West Seattle Corporate Center companies, along with the organizers of today’s mega-flag rally, Metropolitan Market (WSB sponsor) and Bartell Drugs. Yes, a Broncos fan tried to crash the party:

The hoopla also included what you might call a mini-bronco, but Dreamland Ponies had it decked out in Seahawks mode:

The 12th dogs were on hand too:

Some fans brought their own flags:

Oh by the way – about the scale of the “official” 1,500-square-foot flag (made by Flags A’Flying in Tacoma) – this gives you a bit better idea:

With the game three long days away, it was a moment to savor and remember:

A few more photos on the way – check back!

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West Seattle development: New proposal for ex-Mastro property at 3257 Harbor Avenue SW
January 30, 2014 12:02 pm
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   Development | West Seattle news

(King County Assessor’s Office photo)
12:02 PM: A new West Seattle project just turned up on the city’s Design Review calendar – for 3257 Harbor Avenue SW (map), on a site previously owned by notorious real-estate-magnate-turned-fugitive Michael Mastro. Though the property once was proposed for a development to be called Aqua Bella – here’s the flyer we linked from this WSB story in 2009, at which time it was listed for $6.4 million, suggesting a development with 80 units, 3,600 square feet of retail, 107 parking spaces, its current ownership has designed something a bit smaller. After foreclosure, it was bought by CRE Harbor Avenue LLC for $1.2 million, and that’s who is advancing the new proposal – described on the city website as six stories, 44 residential units, 2 live-work units, and 44 parking spaces, on a 10,575-sf lot. This project’s debut before the Southwest Design Review Board is scheduled for 8 pm March 6th, right after the first review for 1606 California SW.

3:03 PM: As pointed out in comments, this appears to involve half the original site. Checking further into the DPD’s online files, it appears a similar-sized project with a separate land-use-application number is proposed for the other half of the site, at 3303 Harbor Avenue SW. We’re checking with the city to see whether or not that means this is really one 2-building project. (Update: It is.)

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