West Seattle, Washington
26 Friday
Thanks to Trina for the photo of the Annabelle, which she reported seeing near Salty’s on Alki (WSB sponsor). An info search reminds us that we’ve shown the Tacoma-based former Herron Island ferry here before, in 2010, at which time commenters surfaced lots of info about both its history and its rebirth as a floating home.
SIDE NOTE FOR SEA-WATCHERS: Checking the Coast Guard’s latest Local Notice for Mariners, looks like west-facing water watchers will see a yacht race one week from today – the annual Blake Island Race (see the course map on page 23, here) on May 31st.
(Thursday night WSB photo by Christopher Boffoli)
New information from Seattle Police might help solve the Thursday night hit-run that injured a bicycle rider at the east end of the “low bridge.” It was added to the original SPD Blotter post last night; we added it to our original story but in case you didn’t go back looking for an update, here are the new details:
Detectives have reason to believe the suspect vehicle is light metallic blue and is missing the right-side mirror. The vehicle should have damage to the front bumper as well as heavy damage to the windshield. The suspect’s vehicle had been traveling westbound at the time of the collision and likely continued over the lower bridge and into West Seattle. Detectives are asking anyone with information to please call TCIS Detective Andrew Norton at (206) 684-8934.
Please do call that number with ANY information – don’t post it in comments; thanks. (In case it helps with time frame, the original SFD dispatch to the incident scene was at 9:17 pm Thursday night.)
Thanks to Michael for sharing that photo from Friday via the WSB Facebook page. Highlights for the first day of the holiday weekend, from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
WEST SEATTLE HS BASEBALL TEAM @ STATE: 10 am in Mount Vernon, the West Seattle High School Wildcats face Shelton HS as state-tournament play begins. It’ll be tweeted live at @wseattlestate. (Winner faces the winner of Bonney Lake-Glacier Peak later in the day; here’s the bracket.)
SEATTLE LUTHERAN HS BASEBALL TEAM @ STATE: Also at 10 am, state-tournament play begins for Seattle Lutheran High School. The preview is from Joe Puckett:
On Saturday, Seattle Lutheran will continue the quest for its third 2B state baseball championship in the last 5 years. The first game is at 10 AM in Adna against Toutle Lake. If Sealu prevails, they will face the winner of the game between Napavine and Tri-Cities Prep later in the afternoon. A win in the second game would mean that the Saints would move on to the 4-team finale on May 31. Here is a link to the entire bracket for the 16 teams remaining in the hunt for the championship.
GET YOUR POPPY: “Honor the dead and help the living” by getting your poppy from American Legion Post 160/Auxiliary Unit 160 this weekend, starting 10 am-3 pm today at West Seattle Thriftway (WSB sponsor), as previewed here. (Fauntleroy/California/Morgan)
HIGHLAND PARK SPRAYPARK’S FIRST DAY OF 2014: Today’s temperature is likely to break 70, so that means there’s a good chance the Highland Park Spraypark will open for its second season, 11 am-8 pm today, as scheduled. (1100 SW Cloverdale)
COLMAN POOL’S FIRST DAY OF 2014: The outdoor pool on the shore at Lincoln Park opens for the season – well, the first pre-season weekend – today at noon. Details here.
(added) PICNIC FOR ‘LOLITA’: 4 pm at Alki Beach, supporters of the campaign to free the last Puget Sound orca surviving in captivity, Lolita/Tokitae, are gathering in solidarity with events elsewhere in the country. Vegetarian potluck. Specific location (and other) details in this Facebook event page.
‘HAIR’: 7:30 pm, let it all hang out with the classic musical at ArtsWest (WSB sponsor) in The Junction. More info in our calendar listing. (4711 California SW)
PIANO & ‘SILENT MOVIES’: Pianist Donald Sosin accompanies silent-movie shorts at Kenyon Hall, 7:30 pm. (7904 35th SW)
KAZOKU! IMPROVISED GAME SHOW: 8 pm tonight is the final night for the first run of “Kazoku!” at Pershing Hall in The Triangle – details in our calendar listing. (3618 SW Alaska)
LIVE MUSIC AND MORE … in all the other listings you’ll see on our calendar.
On the August 5th ballot, you’ll be asked to vote for or against creating the Seattle Park District to raise more money for city parks, as the most recent park levy – the approved-in-2008 Parks and Green Spaces Levy – is expiring. We reported last month on the council vote placing the proposal on the ballot. This past Wednesday, the Delridge Neighborhoods District Council got a preview of the campaign, hearing from three guests over the span of an hour and a half – City Councilmember Jean Godden, who chairs the council committee that deals with parks; Terry Holme, a longtime Parks Board member representing the pro-Park District group Seattle Parks for All; and Carol Fisher, representing the anti-Park District group Our Parks Forever. Except for a moment toward the end when we had to change cameras, the entirety of the statements, and ensuing Q/A, can be seen/heard in the two video clips above. So if you get some time this long weekend, listen in – it’s a big decision to make.
BACKGROUND INFO: This was the result of the Parks Legacy Plan process; the ordinance setting up the ballot measure creating the Park District is here; here’s how the first six years of money would be spent; here are even more details about the individual parts of that spending plan.
Tomorrow and Sunday, you can honor the meaning of Memorial Day by accepting a poppy from representatives of American Legion Post 160 and Auxiliary Unit 160, who will be distributing them at West Seattle Thriftway (WSB sponsor). Post 160’s Kyle Geraghty explains:
The traditional poppy distributed Memorial Day weekend signifies “honor the dead and help the living.”
The poppy as the memorial flower for the American war dead is a tradition which began in the years following World War I. Veterans remembered the bright red, wild poppies which grew and bloomed on the battle fields and graves of those men buried in the sacred plots of French soil, which was Flanders’ Field. Soldiers of all nations came to look upon this flower as a living symbol of their dead comrades’ sacrifice and a sign of hope and renewal for those who lived to remember.
Today, the poppies distributed Memorial Day weekend are made by hospitalized veterans in V.A. hospitals or nursing homes and thousands are ready for a big distribution in May.
West Seattle American Legion Post 160 and the Unit 160 Auxiliary will be continuing the annual tradition of offering poppies this Memorial Day weekend. All money received during the distribution of these poppies is returned to the veterans through service programs of the American Legion and the American Legion Auxiliary.
When you see someone offering a poppy, know that your donation helps veterans and wearing the poppy shows your support for those veterans.
Post 160 and Unit 160 plan to be at Thriftway 10 am-3 pm both days.
Barbecue grills might be the official outdoor-cooking appliances of summer, but you can break the mold by joining in wood-fired baking with the Barton Street Community Garden and P-Patch, which invites you to drop by sometime this Sunday:
The 2014 gardening season is underway! To mark the start of summer, the Barton Street Community Garden and P-Patch will fire up its wood-fired masonry bread and pizza oven. Architect and designer/builder Chris Luthi, who led the project construction, will host. He’ll introduce the use of traditional community ovens as well as masonry oven cooking techniques. Neighbors are invited to join the event, which will feature baking bread and bagel in the morning and pizzas in the afternoon. Participants are encouraged to bring cheese, sauce and toppings for pizzas, and a limited amount of dough for bagels and pizzas will be provided. This informational and fundraising event is open to all.
WHO: Barton Street Community Garden and P-Patch
WHAT: Fire It Up! Bread and Pizza Oven Season Opener
WHERE: Barton St. Community Garden and P-Patch, SW Corner of SW Barton Street and 34th St. SW
WHEN: Sunday, May 25, 2014, 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
WHAT TO BRING: Cheese, sauce, pizza toppings, drinks, chairs
Donations are warmly welcome!
This is the garden/P-patch’s third full growing year.
Four notes in West Seattle Crime Watch this afternoon. First, if you noticed the Guardian One helicopter back over Highland Park/White Center again a bit earlier – it was helping deputies catch a suspected car thief. More on our partner site White Center Now.
Speaking of vehicle theft – Adam Werner from Clean Air Lawn Care (WSB sponsor) e-mailed this afternoon with good news about the stolen truck reported here a month ago:
I want to let everyone know that our stolen truck was recovered this morning off of 43rd and Aurora. The truck is in the same conditions as the night it was stolen (minus a tank of gas). We had a woman call us this morning who noticed that the truck had been parked there for several weeks. Thank you to everyone who has been on the lookout or has continually asked if we had found it. This is a great start to our Memorial Day weekend!!
Anyone missing a bicycle? Ciara says this has been outside her apartment complex for at least two days:
She’ll be reporting to police, who are expected to come pick it up, so if you recognize it, make sure you’ve filed a report, and then check with SPD.
Finally, Dawn has a message to whomever keeps stealing parts of her bamboo fence in Westwood:
To the Westwood thief. Please stop taking my fence. These are solid Tonkin cane bamboo that cost me an arm and a leg to build. You want some, go buy your own.
P.S. Next crime-prevention meeting in West Seattle – the WS Block Watch Captains’ Network meets Tuesday (May 27th) at 6:30 pm, with a guest speaker talking about auto theft and how to prevent it. All welcome, not just Block Watch members/captains.
The first annual Science Celebration Night at Schmitz Park Elementary was not your average science fair. In fact, last night’s event wasn’t a science fair at all.
Christine Morrell, who shared photos today, explained that it was “organized in partnership with teacher representatives from each grade and the PTA … a combination of grade level exhibits and interactive experiences hosted by local organizations (including Museum of Flight, Issaquah Fish Hatchery, the Woodland Park Zoo Raptor Program, Chief Sealth International High School World Water Week, Islandwood/Homewaters, the Mountaineers, and more.)”
She added, “The goal is to show students how fun science can be, both in school and out in the real world … through interactive, hands-on experiences, kids can experience many applications for scientific discovery.” She says volunteers from the West Seattle High School science program helped too.
A busy morning got in the way of our usual calendar-highlights roundup, so we invite you to just visit the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar directly to see what’s up. One spotlight event – what we believe to be the first “end-of-school-year party” in West Seattle, though school has a few weeks to go. From Sunshine, the announcement of the Sanislo Elementary PTA‘s End of the Year Party tonight:
Please join us as we get together to celebrate another successful year at Sanislo.
Where: Highland Park Improvement Club, 1116 SW Holden St
When: TONIGHT (Friday, May 23rd) 6 pm-9 pm
Adults only; beer and wine will be sold. 50/50 Raffle and a wine cellar raffle. Feel free to bring finger food to share, a bottle of wine ($10 or more) for the wine cellar raffle. Open to the public, cash only!
(The last day of the Seattle Public Schools year, by the way, is June 19th.)
More than a year after city government invited Seattleites to take a survey about how we use technology – the Internet, cell phones, etc. – the results are out. Along with the online survey, the city says it also polled some residents by phone, and other via in-person focus groups – 2,600 participants overall. Here are the highlights (sample finding – almost everybody wants faster Internet!); here’s the full report.
Two Level 3 sex offenders have moved to West Seattle, and Southwest Precinct crime-prevention coordinator Mark Solomon has sent an advisory to let you know about them:
In an effort to keep you informed, and in our constant attempts to reduce future victimization, we want to let you know about level 3 sex offenders that have moved into Southwest Precinct neighborhoods in recent weeks.
· Micheal Barron, a 25-year-old white male, is a level 3 sex offender who has recently moved to the 5600 Block of 21st Avenue SW. Mr. Barron is currently under Department of Corrections supervision. [Editor’s note: You can see his photo & other info here]
· Nikolai Greff, a 52-year-old white male, is a level 3 sex offender who has recently moved to the 2600 Block of 49th Avenue SW. Mr. Greff is no longer under Department of Corrections supervision. [Editor’s note: See his photo & other info here]
Detective Fields from the Seattle Police Department’s Sex Offender Detail is assigned to check on these offenders and verify their information. To learn more about these offenders, please visit the King County Sheriff’s Office Sex Offender website and search by their names. You will also find personal safety tips and resources on this site.
If you have further questions about these offenders, contact Michelle McRae of the Seattle Police Sex Offender Detail at 206-684-5581 or e-mail at michelle.mcrae@seattle.gov.
To register to receive an email alert whenever a published offender registers within one mile of your desired addresses, go to (this) link.
Click ahead to read general safety information that Solomon has shared with similar advisories in the past:
10:48 AM: Three people are hurt in a two-vehicle crash just south of The Junction, according to Seattle Fire. It’s in the 5000 block of California. More info when we get there.
10:56 AM: Emergency vehicles are blocking California at the crash scene parallel with the south end of the Rite-Aid lot.
11:05 AM: Police at the scene tell us a car coming out of the Rite-Aid lot was hit by another car headed south. The driver of the first car had to be cut out of it and is now in an ambulance. Police estimate it will be about half an hour before the scene is cleared and the road reopened.
12:35 PM: SFD spokesperson Kyle Moore says the driver cut out of the car in our photo, a woman in her 50s, was in stable condition when taken to Harborview Medical Center by private ambulance, and that “two teenage males” were in the car that hit hers; one was taken to Virginia Mason by private ambulance, another by private car, both with minor injuries.
Thanks to Barbara Mote for sharing photos as her son and other Boy Scouts from Troop 284 (which celebrates its centennial next year!) carried out a pre-Memorial Day tradition at Forest Lawn (WSB sponsor), adding flags and crosses to the graves of those who served in the military.
Forest Lawn is where West Seattle’s traditional Memorial Day service is planned on Monday.
You’re invited to join local American Legion Post 160 and VFW Post 2713 at 2 pm Monday to remember and honor those who served; Forest Lawn is at 6701 30th SW.
With more than 3,200 new and planned residential units – plus single-family rebuilds and infill – development and land use have been hot topics in West Seattle, to say the least; not just specific projects, but also city policies. 
This past Wednesday night, we brought you first word of the Southwest and Delridge Neighborhood District Councils‘ plan for a June 4th community conversation about land use and development featuring City Councilmember Mike O’Brien, who chairs the Planning, Land Use, and Sustainability Committee. Today, the time and place have been announced: 6:30 pm June 4th, which is the regular monthly meeting time for the SWDC, but not the usual place – this will be in a larger space, American Legion Post 160‘s hall at 3618 SW Alaska in The Triangle, so there’s room for anyone and everyone interested. No RSVP needed – just be there.
(WS Bridge and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
Good morning! The holiday weekend is in sight – but first, the Friday morning commute. Also, transit reminders for the holiday on Monday – both Metro and the West Seattle Water Taxi (as well as its shuttle buses) will be on Sunday schedules that day. The citywide alerts for the weekend, meantime, are here.
7:22 AM: Could be some NB I-5 trouble – a car fire is reported north of the bridge offramp.
2:49 AM: Big Seattle Fire response on the way to a call in the 9000 block of 20th SW. Updates to come.
2:53 AM: First units on scene aren’t finding any sign of smoke or fire, so most of the units are being canceled.
3:12 AM: Our crew has verified at the scene, no fire. Residents say they smelled smoke and thought they saw some, but nothing turned up.
(WSB photos by Christopher Boffoli, replacing previous traffic-cam image)
9:42 PM: Police are investigating a collision at the east end of the low bridge, at 11th/Spokane, reported (as monitored via scanner) as car vs. pedestrian. The area is blocked off for investigation, and it sounds as if the Traffic Collision Investigation Squad will be called out.
10:19 PM UPDATE: WSB’s Christopher Boffoli reports the male victim was riding a bicycle and that police believe it was a hit-and-run. The east end of the low bridge remains blocked.
12:19 AM: The traffic camera at 11th/Spokane indicates investigators are still there. No word on the victim’s condition; we hope more information will be available from SPD and SFD later this morning.
1:54 AM: Police have just announced (monitored via scanner) that the roadway is open again.
11:33 AM: More info just published on SPD Blotter, including what to do if you have any information:
Police are searching for a motorist who struck a cyclist on Harbor Island on Thursday night and sped away.
Witnesses found the bloodied and seriously injured cyclist lying in the street at 11 Ave. S.W. and S.W. Spokane St around 8:20 PM and called 911.
Seattle Fire Department Medics responded and transported the victim to Harborview Medical Center with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.
Traffic Collision Investigation detectives also responded to the scene and are investigating the case. Detectives believe the victim was struck while riding westbound along Spokane Street.
Detectives are asking anyone with information to please call them at (206) 684-8923 or 911.
ADDED: New information from SPD Friday night: “Detectives have reason to believe the suspect vehicle is light metallic blue and is missing the right side mirror. The vehicle should have damage to the front bumper as well as heavy damage to the windshield. The suspect’s vehicle had been traveling westbound at the time of the collision and likely continued over the lower bridge and into West Seattle. Detectives are asking anyone with information to please call TCIS Detective Andrew Norton at (206) 684-8934.”
(Trailer for “Find Your Way”)
One week from tonight, West Seattle filmmaker Brian Nunes‘s documentary “Find Your Way” will have its Seattle premiere. It’s about buskers – street musicians, “some just trying their hand at busking for the first time and others who earn a full-time living from it.” Plus, says Nunes, it features “some well-known artists who’ve had experience playing on the street (including West Seattle resident Chris Ballew of The Presidents and world-renowned classical violinist Joshua Bell).” He adds that the film “on its surface is a street documentary about the struggles of making it in a world driven relentlessly by the allure of fame, but at its core is an examination of what it means to be successful - a topic we can all relate to.” Last month, “Find Your Way” won Best Documentary at the Houston International Film Festival. Next Thursday (May 29th), you can see it at 6:30 pm at the Jewelbox Theater, after a short live-music preshow with two performers from the film, and a short discussion post-screening. Nunes himself is a former busker. Admission is free but to make sure there’s room, go here to reserve a spot; the Jewelbox is at 2322 2nd Ave. in Belltown.
(WSB file photo of West Seattle Car Show in The Junction)
Though its founder is gone, the West Seattle Car Show is likely to go on. Its future was uncertain after the sudden, early death this past March of Michael Hoffman, who launched the show in 2008 and made it happen each year since, but after reaching out to seek your opinion last month, two local car-care businesses (both WSB sponsors) are moving forward with plans to keep it going – and asking for your help:
Following up on the West Seattle Blog poll regarding the West Seattle Car Show, published April 30, 2014, thank you for the overwhelmingly positive response. It is clear that the car show is an enormously popular community event.
Swedish Automotive, Inc. and West Seattle Autoworks are pleased to announce that we are moving forward with preparations for the West Seattle Car Show, scheduled for September 14th, 2014, to be located in the West Seattle Junction!
There are many details and pieces to put in place between now and then, and this is where we need your help … If you volunteered for the West Seattle Car Show in previous years (or would like to volunteer this year) or have key pieces of information regarding preparation for this event, and you are willing to share yourself as a resource, please email wscarshow@gmail.com with your contact information and a brief description of how you can help. Thank you in advance for your participation!
Watch for updates as the planning continues!
Even before Tuesday night’s West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting, Southwest Precinct police leaders had promised that the Roxhill Park/Westwood Village area would be one of three emphasis spots for beefed-up summertime prevention/enforcement efforts. Westwood in particular dominated the discussion, though precinct commander Capt. Steve Wilske said his “summer plan” had not yet won final approval from department leadership.
SUMMER PLAN: With the recent warm weather, “Alki’s starting to get real busy for us,” Capt. Wilske began, saying he plans to have extra officers there on Friday and Saturday nights for starters, as well as increased patrols for Roxhill/Westwood and for Lincoln Park.
One of his strategies, also mentioned at earlier community meetings, is to get officers onto bicycles, at least part-time. He said he’s hoping to have bikes and gear for up to 12 officers. “They’ll be patrol officers, I can’t exempt them from 911 response, (but) they’ll have bikes so when they have down time they’ll be able to get into one of these emphasis areas and start riding.”
WESTWOOD VILLAGE: Community Police Team Officer Jon Kiehn said the recent trouble with shoplifting, threats, and more, tends to involve “the same people over and over again.”
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
On this second consecutive day of Guardian One visits to West Seattle, you might remember a helicopter search near The Junction one night almost four months ago, when a stolen pickup truck was driven through a fence, 
and the suspected driver was found inside a nearby house where he used to live. The man arrested that night, 32-year-old Nicholas Broughton, was charged with hit-run, trespass, possession of a stolen vehicle – and got out of jail two weeks after his arrest, posting bond after his original $100,000 bail was cut to $25,000 by King County Superior Court Judge Catherine Shaffer.
Less than a month after that first arrest – as reported here – more charges were filed against Broughton in a separate case, alleged ID theft involving credit/debit cards stolen in car prowls (with at least one West Seattle victim). Superior Court Judge Patrick Oishi denied prosecutors’ request to raise Broughton’s bail after those charges were filed, even though they told him about Broughton’s lengthy criminal history and record of failing to appear.
So now, three months after that second round of charges, we discovered via a routine check of online files that an arrest warrant is out for Broughton today because of … a failure to appear. Court records show he didn’t show up for a case-setting hearing yesterday. If and when he’s found – the bail amount will be that original $100,000, as approved yesterday by yet another Superior Court Judge, Jim Rogers. We’d assume 911 would want to hear about it if you see him – mention the warrant. (The photo above, originally shown in our March report, is from the state Corrections Department, taken during a previous prison stay by Broughton.)
(WSB photo: Genesee closed on Tuesday, before crew discovered things weren’t working out)
The latest on the road-work saga we’ve been following over the past few days, with the help of neighbors in the work zones: SDOT confirms the work to improve traction on the steep hills of SW Genesee (east of Avalon) and SW Charlestown (west of 46th) is indeed on indefinite hold – because the crews, well, couldn’t get traction. SDOT spokesperson Marybeth Turner elaborates:
The asphalt grinding work to improve traction is on hold until further notice.
The contractor was able to grind the level portion of Southwest Charlestown Street (45-46th), but encountered difficulty with the equipment as the contractor’s crews moved onto the hill (46-47th). The contractor explains that this type of grinding generally takes place on wide, level highways and the equipment was not built with steep grades in mind. The newer, higher power model machine they tried was unable to climb the hill and grind at the same time, even with support from an auxiliary vehicle. The contractor is looking at alternate machinery and methods to see if there is a way to improve traction on the remaining locations on Southwest Charlestown Street, Southwest Genesee Street, and West Dravus Street.
The problem was not encountered in the first work zone, on Olson at the east end of Roxbury, when crews were there last weekend – as you probably know, it’s not nearly as steep.
10:59 AM: Just checked with Seattle Police; the Guardian One helicopter is helping them look for a domestic-violence suspect. That’s all we know so far; thanks for the texts about Westwood/Roxhill chopper sightings.
11:23 AM: No update on the search but the scanner indicates Guardian One is off to another case elsewhere in the city. On their Twitter feed, the helicopter crew describes the West Seattle assignment as having assisted in a case involving a “foot pursuit.” We’re also checking with Seattle Public Schools regarding commenters’ reports of shelter-in-place at Chief Sealth IHS.
11:48 AM: Still trying to get more info on the incident itself, and whether the suspect was arrested, but we did confirm with CSIHS by phone that the brief “shelter-in-place” has since been lifted.
12:15 PM: SPS spokesperson Lesley Rogers tells us Denny IMS and Roxhill Elementary also were in “shelter in place” for about 20 minutes, and that it was lifted an hour ago. (Added: An Explorer West MS [WSB sponsor] parent tells us they got word that school also took precautions for a similar amount of time.)
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