West Seattle, Washington
12 Thursday
As noted earlier, it’s International Women’s Day. One way to celebrate: Register for a free workshop West Seattle Runner (WSB sponsor) and community partners are offering in a week and a half. From West Seattle Runner co-proprietor Lori McConnell:
This is an event for women who run and walk and work out to come together to learn more about ways to support our unique health needs. Thursday, March 19th, 6 pm.
This year, we will be supporting a charity. We chose Girls on the Run! They will be at the event so you can learn more about the program, ways to volunteer, support and more. West Seattle Runner will be donating 10% of sales for the evening to Girls on the Run.
We will have 3 presenters. Michelle Babb MS, RD, CD, is a registered dietitian who holds a Master’s degree in nutrition from Bastyr University. She provides clients with the tools they need to achieve optimal health through nutrition education, creative fitness, and emotional balance. We have asked Michelle to speak about nutrition as it pertains to hormones of the female athlete.
Lina Sims, PT, DPT, is passionate about women’s health and related pelvic-floor conditions. Her interest in women’s health comes from her own pregnancies and postpartum experiences with her two children. Lina will be teaching us pelvic floor exercises.
Dr. Stefie Deeds, MD FACP, a board-certified Internal Medicine and Obesity Medicine specialist in West Seattle, will cover perimenopause/menopause (Role of HRT for joints/sleep), strength training needs (bone health/ what the research shows), and the role of recovery/sleep in performance.
We will have Seattle Sports Performance at the event so you can learn about an opportunity for strength training.
Rosemary, owner of Nailspa2u, will be here to help with healthy tips for Healthy Feet. While her schedule is often full, maybe you can slide onto her calendar…she is talented and skilled in treating runner’s feet and lost nails from all those miles.
We will have a demo fleet of Brooks bras! Justine will get you fitted in a bra and we will do a couple laps at the track to wear test them. We will also raffle off a couple bras! We also will provide snacks and beverages.
Again, this is all free, but WSR requests RSVP so they can plan – email lori@westseattlerunner.com – then be at the shop that night, 2743 California SW.
Even before the arrival of spring, families are finalizing school plans for next fall. Three of the peninsula’s Seattle Public Schools have opportunities to visit:
LAFAYETTE KINDERGARTEN TOUR: Lafayette Elementary will be hosting a Kindergarten Tour for incoming kindergarten families tomorrow morning (Monday, March 9), at 8:15 am. The announcement says “the tour is a great opportunity for parents and caregivers to see the school, learn about the kindergarten program, and ask questions.” Lafayette is at 2645 California SW.
FAIRMOUNT PARK KINDERGARTEN TOUR: On Tuesday evening (March 10), Fairmount Park Elementary is offering a kindergarten tour. Just be at the school (3800 SW Findlay) at 5 pm.
LOUISA BOREN STEM STILL HAS SPOTS: No planned tour this week, but you can schedule a visit. Here’s the announcement sent by the Louisa Boren STEM K-8 PTA:
Louisa Boren STEM PK8 still has a few spots left for the `26-27 school year!
*SPS will be accepting late School Choice applications through March 31st, 2026*
We are a SPS PreK-8 Option School in West Seattle that uses Project-Based Learning with a STEM focus. If you’re looking for a smaller environment, hands on learning, strong community and a unique curriculum our school may be a great option for your family!
Please reach out to tours@stemk8pta.org to schedule a time to come check us out, or with any questions!
Learn more about our school: stemk8pta.org
Boren STEM is at 5950 Delridge Way SW. General SPS enrollment info is here.
(Last Standard Time sunset until fall – photo by Bob Burns)
Daylight Saving Time, day 1! Sunset tonight will be at 7:04 pm. Before we get there – here’s the event lineup, mostly from our WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
SAUNA SESSIONS FOR INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY: As previewed here, Good Day Sauna is at Lincoln Park with special sessions raising money for women entrepreneurs in Africa. We checked early today and some openings remained this afternoon.
SUNDAY FUNDAY RUNDAY: The Westies Run Club is meeting at Caffé Ladro West Seattle today for a Sunday Funday trail-run adventure – meet at 9 am. (7011 California SW)
WALK WITH A DOC: West Seattle’s Dr. Stefie Deeds invites you to meet up with her at 9:30 am at Alki Statue of Liberty Plaza (61st SW and Alki SW) for a brisk walk on the shore.
FREE WEST AFRICAN DANCE CLASS: Sunday dancing! 9:30 am at South Park Hall (1253 S. Cloverdale).
AMERICAN MAH JONGG: In The Junction, weekly Sunday morning games are happening at the new location of The Missing Piece (4707 California SW), 9:30 am.
WEST SEATTLE FARMERS’ MARKET: Open as usual on California SW between Oregon and Alaska, 10 am-2 pm, now in late-winter produce-and-products season – roots, greens, peppers, mushrooms, cabbage, beans, garlic, apples, more – plus lots of baked goods, cheeses, meats, fish, prepared foods, nuts, condiments, pasta, more.
GIRL SCOUT COOKIES: Multiple locations and times again today (use the Cookie Finder)!
WEEKEND SINGALONG BRUNCH: 10 am at Admiral Pub (2306 California SW), sing to hits of the ’80s, ’90s, ’00s while enjoying a buffet breakfast.
FREE NIA CLASS: Begins at 10:15 am; first class free if you pre-register. At Inner Alchemy Studio/Sanctuary. (3618 SW Alaska)
WEST SEATTLE TOOL LIBRARY: Need a tool but don’t need to, or can’t, buy it? You’ll probably be able to find it at, and borrow it from, the Tool Library, open 11 am-4 pm on the northeast side of Youngstown Cultural Arts Center. (4408 Delridge Way SW)
FREE TAX HELP, BUT … 11 am-4 pm at Southwest Library, registration strongly encouraged as it’s been all booked up. (9010 35th SW)
PRESCHOOL OPEN HOUSE: 11 am-1 pm, Westside Wonderspace is open for visiting families. (7018 14th SW)
WEST SEATTLE RESIST: Regular weekly West Seattle Resist Sunday sign-holding event, 11:30 am-1:30 pm. South of Farmers’ Market. (California SW and SW Alaska)
WELCOME ROAD WINERY: You’re invited to hang out at this West Seattle tasting room (with a patio!) open 2-5 pm, kids and dogs welcome. (3804 California SW; WSB sponsor)
TIM’S MATINEE: Deadgrass at Tim’s Tavern, 2 pm, all ages, tickets here. (16th SW & SW 98th, White Center)
LIVE AT KENYON HALL: Magical Strings, 2:30 pm. (7904 35th SW)
LADIES’ MUSICAL CLUB: Free classical-music concert at West Seattle (Admiral) Library (2306 42nd SW) at 3 pm.
TRIVIA AT MR. B’S: 5 pm-8 pm, trivia hosted by Morgue Anne at Mr. B’s Mead Center (9444 Delridge Way SW).
LIVE MUSIC AT THE LOCOL: 5:30-7:30 pm, special Sunday night music at The Locöl Kitchen and Bar, with Tomo Nakayama. No cover, 21+. (7902 35th SW)
UNDERGROUND TRIVIA AT CORNER POCKET: Trivia starts at 7:30 pm – you can win prizes! (4302 SW Alaska)
LIVE MUSIC AT THE ALLEY: 8-10 pm, music to close out your weekend, with the Triangular Jazztet at The Alley (behind 4509 California SW).
Are you planning, organizing, and/or publicizing something that we could add to the WSB community event calendar – one-time or recurring? Please email us the basic details – westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
Also in south Highland Park – a gunfire incident. Police checking out the area after 911 calls about 15 minutes ago report they’ve found a shell casing in Westcrest Park‘s south parking lot. No report of any damage or injuries, so far.
(WSB photo)
SFD and SPD were called to that RV on 9th SW between SW Barton and SW Henderson a short time ago; a 911 caller asked for medical help for a woman. As soon as SFD got there, they radioed that she was an “obvious DOA.” They subsequently called for police and the Medical Examiner’s Office, which will investigate the cause of death. The only thing we’ve heard about circumstances is that the caller told dispatchers they had last seen the woman alive last night.
7:17 PM: For those wondering about the low thump-thump-thump of a military helicopter over West Seattle – unlike some recent helicopter passes, this one is on tracker, and it’s a U.S. Army Chinook helicopter from JBLM in Pierce County. We don’t know its exact mission but looking into previous similar passes, they do often head up this way on training flights.
7:21 PM: After flying north and then east along West Seattle’s shore to Duwamish Head, the Chinook headed north and is currently flying along Magnolia, Ballard, and beyond.
7:24 PM: And now retracing its path southward – so you might hear it again.
7:35 PM: Appears to be headed home, already off the west shore of Vashon Island.
By Macey Wurm
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
The kids can finally rock on, after School of Rock West Seattle‘s grand reopening this afternoon. The afternoon celebration included live music, free lessons, and free tours.
The school’s facility at 41st SW and SW Alaska was forced to close temporarily in late October due to water damage from a leak in the upstairs CVS store’s pipes. Half of the school was destroyed, resulting in a complete demolition and rebuild of the affected areas, according to owner Phil Gustavson.
School of Rock was one of six businesses in Jefferson Square reported being affected by the leak, all of which had to close to some degree.
But the school’s closure didn’t stop students from continuing their practice. Though the organization didn’t take on new students during the closure – and had to halt private lessons – previously existing bands transitioned to online lesson tools allowing them to continue to prepare for upcoming concerts. The back half of the Jefferson Square facility had minimal damage, so it was accessible to bands for in-person rehearsals.
Most recently, the bands have played at Jazz Bones in Tacoma, and have upcoming concerts planned on April 25 at the Clock-Out Lounge, and May 17 at the West Seattle 5K on Alki.
“Our school is all about performance.” Gustavson said. “It really gives the kids something fun to work with that’s engaging… We are building a community, we’re having fun, we’re playing together.”
This was apparent at the grand re-opening, the main event being the school’s house band opening up their rehearsal space to all attendees. The house band is the only audition-based program at the school, and primarily consists of kids who want to be ambassadors – playing extra concerts and bringing more people into the program. Gustavson told WSB that the day was a success, with the teachers brought in for free walk-in trial lessons completely booked. The school is “ready for students, and looking forward to getting back to serving the community,” he said.
Next door, Dream Dinners West Seattle suffered major flooding damage too, and was able to reopen last month, as reported here.
Unusual menu-board item at Ounces (3809 Delridge Way SW) this afternoon – cookies and beer! The beer garden/tap room is suggesting pairings today, while Troop 42099 is there selling cookies on the second weekend of cookie-booth season:
You can buy cookies whether or not you’re buying beer, by the way. This year’s cookies are $6/box except for gluten-free Toffee-tastic, which is priced at $7.
Cookie-selling teaches Girl Scouts entrepreneurial skills, and also enables them to support chosen causes – one focus for this troop is to help shelter pets. They’re at Ounces until 6 pm today and will be at the Junction QFC (42nd SW and SW Alaska) at 10 am Sunday. Lots of troops have booths all over West Seattle; you can look up times and locations here.
(WSB photos by Macey Wurm)
As featured in our daily lineup, the Chinese Lantern Festival is being celebrated today from 11-4 at the Seattle Chinese Garden on Puget Ridge. The festival marks one full lunar month after the New Year.
Performances including a Lion Dance, Guzheng performance, a Tai Chi demo, a Chinese flute performance, and a Wushu performance by Husky Wushu are continuing until 2 this afternoon. Activity tables are set up for attendees until 3 pm, with the festival officially ending at 4. Activity tables include tea tasting:
Lantern riddles– see if you can guess the riddle and win a prize from the “riddle master”:
Chinese knot-tying:
Dragon ribbon dancing, with the table staffed by Wei Dai:
Stencil painting – attendees can take their pick of several stencils and paint colors:
The Seattle Chinese Garden is on the north edge of the South Seattle College (WSB sponsor) campus, 6000 16th SW. No admission charge but donations are welcome.
(Photo by Karl Weyrauch)
Thanks for the tips and pics! Another notable sighting on Puget Sound from West Seattle shores today – the Corinthian Yacht Club‘s Three Tree Point Race.
(Photo by Carol Ann Joyce)
(Photo by Javier Fosado)
It’s part of a race series with 65 entrants.
11:47 AM: Police have told dispatch that they’re closing northbound Delridge at Orchard for a collision response. It was initially reported as a child on a scooter hit by a car; one SFD engine has been sent for medical care, and the subsequent description was 11-year-old boy on bicycle, minor injuries. The driver is reported to be on scene. Avoid the area for a while.
11:56 AM: Further verification that the child’s injuries are not believed to be life-threatening, he’ll be taken to a hospital by AMR ambulance. As for what he was riding, a passerby who texted us described it as a scooter.
12:04 PM: Police say they’re ready to reopen Delridge at the scene.
(Added: Photo by Adam Wuerl)
Thanks for sending the tips and photos!
(Photo by Alex David)
Off West Seattle a short time ago, that’s the U.S. Navy‘s oldest aircraft carrier, USS Nimitz (CVN-68), leaving Puget Sound one last time, three months after returning to Bremerton following its final deployment.
(Added: Photo by Michael Fischer)
(Added: Photo by Vanessa)
It’s headed to Norfolk, VA, for decommissioning.
(Photo sent by Jerry Simmons, on the fence at 29th/Thistle)
Happy pre-time change (see below) Saturday! The highlights are as usual mostly from the West Seattle Event Calendar:
GIRL SCOUT COOKIES: Second weekend! Find times and locations for nearby cookie booths using the search tool here.
SATURDAY GROUP RUN: At West Seattle Runner (2743 California SW; WSB sponsor), you can join the Saturday 8 am free group run.
FREE MEDITATION: Get a quiet start to your weekend with Heavily Meditated, 9 am free meditation at Inner Alchemy Studio/Sanctuary (3618 SW Alaska).
INTRODUCTORY WALK and WALKING FOR WELL-BEING: 9:30 am, walk a mile before the 10 am well-being walk (or just show up for that one). Both start from 47th SW and Fontanelle.
SINGALONG BRUNCH: 10 am weekends, sing to classics and enjoy a breakfast buffet at Admiral Pub (2306 California SW), ticket link in our calendar listing.
SSC GARDEN CENTER: 10 am-3 pm, open today! New plants in! North end of campus at South Seattle College (6000 16th SW; WSB sponsor)
MORNING MUSIC AT THE COFFEEHOUSE: 10:30 am-noon at C & P Coffee (5612 California SW; WSB sponsor), Marco de Carvalho and Friends perform. Info about Marco’s music is here.
FREE WRITING GROUP: 10:30 am free, weekly, in-person, critique-free group – details in our calendar listing.
FAMILY STORY TIME: 10:30 am at High Point Library (3411 SW Raymond), for families with kids up to 5 years old.
NEW YEAR CELEBRATION AT SEATTLE CHINESE GARDEN: 11 am-4 pm Chinese New Year festival of activities, crafts, and performances for all ages. The garden is at the north end of South Seattle College (6000 16th SW; WSB sponsor).
FREE DROP-IN TAX HELP: At West Seattle Food Bank (35th SW and SW Morgan), 11 am-3 pm tax help, no appointment needed.
FAMILY READING TIME: At Paper Boat Booksellers, 11 am family reading time. (4522 California SW; WSB sponsor)
COMMUNITY WORKOUT: Monthly 11:30 am class with Revive Movement at CrossFit WS (4200 SW Admiral Way).
SCHOOL OF ROCK GRAND REOPENING: As previewed here, the music school is celebrating its reopening after a months-long facility closure forced by flooding in the nearby CVS store. Noon-3 pm music and more – drop in! (41st SW and SW Alaska)
LOG HOUSE MUSEUM: The home of West Seattle’s history is open, noon-4 pm (61st SW and SW Stevens).
VIETNAMESE CULTURAL CENTER: The center is open for your visit on Saturdays, noon-3 pm. Free. (2236 SW Orchard)
POSTCARDS 4 DEMOCRACY, SATURDAY EDITION: 12:30 pm at C & P Coffee (5612 California SW; WSB sponsor), long-distance advocacy, new participants welcome!
VISCON CELLARS TASTING ROOM/WINE BAR: Tasting room open, with wine by the glass or bottle – 1-6 pm at Viscon Cellars (5910 California SW; WSB sponsor).
NORTHWEST WINE ACADEMY TASTING ROOM, WINE BAR, STORE: Open 1-6 pm on north end of South Seattle College (6000 16th SW; WSB sponsor) campus.
HOW TO GROW PLANTS FROM SEED: Almost planting time – but how much do you know about growing plants from seed? 2 pm Garden Hotline event at High Point Library (3411 SW Raymond), free but registration required.
COOKIE SALES PLUS BEER PAIRINGS: 2-6 pm Girl Scout Cookie booth at Ounces (3809 Delridge Way SW):
Our Girl Scout troop #42099 is holding a cookie booth sale at Ounces … We are a Daisy and Brownie troop with girls at multiple West Seattle elementary schools who are going to use our funds to support the Seattle Animal Shelter (and celebrate at a trampoline park).
Concurrently, for those interested (and 21+), beer pairings for your cookies!
ROCK OUT WITH JED ZEPPELIN: Live with the music of Led Zeppelin, 2:30 pm at Kenyon Hall (7904 35th SW)! $15 general/$5 kids.
FREE MASSAGE: 3-5 pm walk-in clinic offering short, specific massages at Nepenthe. (9447 35th SW)
TREAD-A-THON: West Seattle Girls’ Water Polo team 3:30-5:10 pm fundraiser at Southwest Pool (2801 SW Thistle), as explained here, with a link you can use to pledge.
LIVE MUSIC AT THE COFFEEHOUSE: 6-8 pm at C & P Coffeehouse (5612 California SW; WSB sponsor), Circle of Songs acoustic event. Free, all ages.
LET’S TALK ABOUT IT! Monthly conversation circle for women at least 16 years old to talk about “the real things,” 6:30 pm at Lagom Studios (4507 SW Wildwood Place).
LIVE MUSIC AT THE MEAD CENTER: 7 pm at Mr. B’s Mead Center (9444 Delridge Way SW), Best and The Linens, performing live. No cover, all ages.
LIVE AT THE SKYLARK: Doors at 7 pm, music at 8, for Festival of Friends Bandmixers Community Roulette Volume 4, various genres of rock, tickets here. 21+. (3803 Delridge Way SW)
THE BYRD ENSEMBLE: Vocal ensemble in concert, themed “Flemish Masters,” 8 pm at Holy Rosary Church (42nd SW and SW Genesee), as previewed here. Use discount code WSBLOG for 30 percent off your ticket!
REVELRY ROOM: 9 pm, DJ Tomás spins. (4547 California SW)
SKATE PARTY: 9 pm-midnight at Southgate Roller Rink (9676 17th SW), with rotating DJs spinning old-school funk & hip-hop, $18 plus $5 skate rental.
KARAOKE AT TALARICO’S: Sing at 10 pm at Talarico’s Pizzeria. (4718 California SW)
SPRING FORWARD: The twice-yearly time change officially happens at 2 am Sunday, when we “spring forward” an hour to 3 am. That’s the start of Daylight Saving Time, lasting until Sunday, November 1.
Have a West Seattle event coming up? If community members are welcome, your event is welcome to a listing on our calendar, free of charge, always! Please email info to westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
By Torin Record-Sand
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
“Think about it as pledging to build a future that you want to see,” said board member Quinn Carr during Thursday night’s annual West Seattle/Fauntleroy YMCA annual-fundraising-drive kickoff. “We’re building legacies – you may have the next city councilmember or governor here [at the Y]. We’re all getting older, but because of that, we need to prepare the next generation to be the stewards we want to see, so that when it’s our time […] we know we’re in good hands.”
The Thursday night event at the Fauntleroy YMCA site represents the start of the Y’s fundraising season for 2026 into early 2027. This year, they are seeking around $131,250 for various programs.
Though, as event leaders from the West Seattle/Fauntleroy Cleveland King II (branch executive, above left), and Claiborne Bell (WS YMCA board member, above right) joked, they would be happy to take home “50 million dollars.” Dinner and refreshments were served to a full house of around 100 people, many from local West Seattle community organizations as well as the YMCA itself.
The speakers for the evening pointed to four key programs as defining pillars of community contribution from the YMCA. These programs were youth sports, aquatics education, camping and outdoors education, and a recent partnership between the YMCA and the Salvation Army to support survivors of domestic abuse.
The first of these speakers was Jonathan Lee, a coach for various youth sports at the YMCA, who spoke about their importance. He said he has been coaching for more than four years at the YMCA, sometimes even with his own son in the programs. “Coaching younger players at YMCA is a meaningful way to build foundation [for their lives],” he said. “I like to talk a lot about the three Es: energy, effort, and enthusiasm.” These three concepts, he said, were the solid foundation which youth sports provides – something applicable not only to games, but to the future life of the young people he coached. “You can win almost every game with great effort, energy, and enthusiasm. It is hard to win with two of the three, and rare to win with only one.”
The next speaker was Catherine Earley, the aquatics program executive at the YMCA. She provided grim, sobering statistics on the necessity of learning to swim, such as the disparity between racial demographics on the fatal drowning rate, and the fact that drowning is the 5th leading cause of accidental injury death across all ages. “Swimming lessons save lives – participation lowers risk of drowning by 88%,” she said. She noted that the YMCA is America’s largest swimming instructor, teaching more than 13,000 people each year how to swim.
Jason Lane, senior executive director for camping and outdoor programs, spoke about the outdoor programs briefly. He noted that the Greater Seattle YMCA served over 25,000 youth in outdoor programs in 2025, at their locations such as Camp Colman and Camp Orkila. “These programs give kids community awareness, social and emotional intelligence, self-confidence, courage, and wonder for the natural world. They create lifelong roots for an interest in the outdoors and healthy living.” he said. He also highlighted the direct impact fundraising can have: “For every 500 dollars we raise, it can send a single youth for a full week, and 300 dollars do the same for a 3- or 4-day program in environmental education.”
West Seattle/Fauntleroy branch executive Cleveland King stepped up next to talk about the YMCA’s recent efforts to partner with the Salvation Army to help support children and families affected by domestic violence. “For me, it was a no-brainer.” he said. He shared a deeply intimate and personal story about dealing with domestic violence in his youth, moving frequently from house to house in the Seattle area to avoid a violent father. This, he said, gave him a special impetus to look on how to create a partnership to help families suffering from the same issues he faced as a child. “We want these kids to have an escape – to go play sports, to go camping, to go and just learn how to swim. […] We also want these parents to have a chance to escape what they’ve been going through, to come to the Y, work out, relieve stress, and have peace of mind that their kid is safe. It’s really important for me to be able to help someone else, help someone who they don’t have to endure some of the things I had to endure as a child, and to give them a better way.”
Quinn Carr, board member, delivered the closing remarks, which once again highlighted the necessity of these programs. “The aquatics program, camping, domestic violence – all these things have something in common – you are funding and building a foundation for our children.” he said.
The dinner itself also highlighted the contributions of a local community figure. Not only is Claiborne Bell a board member for the West Seattle YMCA, he is also a local entrepreneur. The food was catered from his Distinguished Foods facility, headquartered across the street from the West Seattle Y.
If you’d like to give to the local YMCA as part of their annual fundraiser, you can find their donation page here.
Those soaring sounds provide a preview of The Byrd Ensemble‘s concert, 8 pm Saturday night (March 7) at Holy Rosary Catholic Church. And they’re sponsoring WSB today and tomorrow to amplify a ticket deal – use code WSBLOG when you order your ticket(s) here, and you’ll get a 30 percent discount! The Byrd Ensemble is a professional vocal ensemble directed by Markdavin Obenza and usually featuring about a dozen singers. Here’s what this concert, “Flemish Masters,” is about:
This program features music by seminal composers from the 15th and 16th century Franco-Flemish School: Josquin des Prez, Nicolas Gombert, and Thomas Crecquillon. Accompanying these works are two contemporary pieces by British composers Kerensa Briggs and Gabriel Jackson, whose compositions draws inspiration from Renaissance masterpieces.
Holy Rosary is on the north edge of The Junction, 42nd SW and SW Genesee. Get your ticket(s) here and don’t forget to use the WSBLOG discount code!
6:30 PM: Thanks for the tips. The huge King County Sheriff’s Office response at 25th SW and SW 107th in North Shorewood [vicinity map] is because of a shooting. A man is reported to have shot his brother after a family dispute. While someone left the scene with the victim – intending to go to a Burien hospital, but eventually contacting 911 and now being taken to Harborview with a wound to the abdomen – the suspect was believed to still be in the residence where it happened, and that’s what the big response is about.
7:20 PM: They’re still trying to get him to come out voluntarily, before deploying a warrant to go in. Avoid the area, as they’re keeping traffic away for a considerable distance.
7:48 PM: Though opening and closing doors have been interpreted by deputies as proof that someone’s in the house, now they are also following up on a tip that the suspect is actually in High Point.
8:12 PM: No change – they’re still strategizing outside the North Shorewood house, while following up in High Point (where the tip is reported to have come from the suspect himself).
8:15 PM: The suspect is in custody – near Neighborhood House in High Point, where he told KCSO they would find him. Deputies back at North Shorewood will be searching the house now to be sure all’s well inside.
8:37 PM: A couple of readers have asked about a concurrent KCSO expanded presence at Steve Cox Memorial Park. That was being used as a staging area for some units.
8:55 PM: Back at the original North Shorewood scene, deputies have given the all-clear to reopen the street. We’re trying, meantime, to find out how the victim is doing.
9:06 PM: KCSO isn’t commenting on that, and their official media updates included far less info than we’ve already reported. So we likely won’t have anything more until after the suspect’s first hearing, which would be tomorrow or Monday if he’s booked into jail tonight.
7:19 AM SATURDAY: We just confirmed that the suspect is 18 and is in the King County Jail this morning.
4:21 PM: More news from Highland Park Way hill today – this time, a power outage. More than 2,000 customers are out after, according to a 911 dispatch, tree limb(s) fell on wires at Highland Park Way and Othello. Updates to come.
4:38 PM: SCL confirms “tree/vegetation” as the cause.
5:24 PM: Thanks to Kay Kirkpatrick for the photo! City Light crews are on the scene clearing branches, she reports.
5:26 PM: And moments later, we’re getting reports of restoration. The SCL map shows everyone’s back on.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Ten years after a planned RV “safe lot” in Highland Park was scrapped, a much larger RV/tiny-house site yards away is on a fast track toward opening, and a community meeting last night revealed much more about how its operator plans to manage it.
Glassyard Commons – the site we were first to report on, after discovering the plan in city permit filings in January – will be Seattle’s only RV “safe lot” when it opens on state-owned land at 7201 2nd Avenue SW.
LIHI, which will add Glassyard Commons to its portfolio of tiny-house villages, organized the meeting, held at Georgetown’s New Direction Missionary Baptist Church (different from the similarly named church that is listed as sponsor for Glassyard Commons, New Hope Missionary Baptist). Among many other things attendees learned last night, if a shelter site is “religiously controlled,” it doesn’t need to be rezoned to host this kind of use.
(WSB photos by Macey Wurm)
The meeting’s location also provided a visual reminder of the homelessness crisis and its RV tensions along Seattle streets, with RVs parked across South Homer Street from the church, bordering a park – and lines of ecoblocks along properties to the west, a common preventive measure deployed in unofficial attempts to prevent RV parking.
Our full unedited video of the meeting is atop the story; if you don’t have time to watch, here’s our summary.
Marta Kidane, LIHI’s community-engagement leader, emceed. First speaker was the meeting-host church’s pastor Rev. Lawrence Willis, who said he’s worked with LIHI for 15 years, including five years on their board,
LIHI executive director Sharon Lee said her organization’s current shelter portfolio include 17 tiny-house villages – West Seattle’s Camp Second Chance among them – and five hotel shelters. She touted LIHI’s management of the Salmon Bay Village site for a year and a half, from December 2023 to May 2025 with 28 RVs and 11 tiny houses. (That’s considerably smaller than what’s projected for Glassyard Commons, 72 RVs and 20 tiny houses.) She said Salmon Bay was a success, forced to close because the land owners decided to turn the Interbay site into a pickleball facility.
City policy analyst Jon Grant revealed that Glassyard Commons will be the only RV safe lot in the city – for now – and apparently also the only one in King County. “People in RVs are suffering; they want a way to get out of them.” He described the site as a “stepping stone” for vehicle residents to get into permanent housing; the tiny houses will in some but not all cases be a bridge for people, whose RVs will be hooked up to power upon arrival, as well as drained of fluids, and modified so their bathrooms don’t work (they’d use the provided hygiene facilities instead).
LIHI’s senior construction project manager Matthew White offered more details of the site plan. Since they’re only using part of the WSDOT-owned property, he said, there will be two fences, interior and exterior. All entries will be via the front gate, with 24/7 security (these are paid staff members, Kidane confirmed when we asked, knowing that at sites like CSC security had been the responsibility of resident volunteers). LIHI staffers, including the site manager and three case managers, will have six offices to use. There will also be asphalt paths, security cameras, a kitchen, laundry room, and hygiene facilities with seven showers and eight toilets. And fire extinguishers would be available at least every 75 feet. Also, it’ll have outdoor community areas including smoking zones and picnic tables. Tiny houses, it was noted, all have heating and A/C. As for overall schedule, White said they’re “pushing very hard” to get this up and running in three months.
From operations and case management, Donna Anderson and Victoria Kent discussed details such as “We don’t allow visitors – they can’t come inside or park outside.” (Parking, and even camping, just outside the front gate had been a longtime problem at Camp Second Chance.) Regarding those who fear “this is going to bring crime to the neighborhood,” their contention was “when folks get in and feel safe, they start policing themselves” and even what happens nearby off the premises. Clients will have “individual service plans,” they said, touting that Camp Second Chance has seen 20 housing placements so far this year. Also at the mic were outreach managers Jen Manlief and Jonah Silverstein; they said they’ve been in the area daily, including Highland Park, Westwood, the nearby encampment site cleared on Monday.
The last section of the presentation somewhat dovetailed with Mayor Katie Wilson’s pitch earlier in the week for volunteerism to help with the homelessness crisis. LIHI volunteer manager Amanda Benson said there are multiple ways to support them, including painting and vegetation clearing; Kidane explained the Community Advisory Committee process and again promised one will be set up for Glassyard Commons – email her at marta.kidane@lihi.org
The Q&A period was constrained because, organizers said, they had to end the meeting after an hour because the church had another event scheduled shortly thereafter.
The first questions came from an adjacent property owner who asked about zoning – that’s where the “religious sponsor” information emerged – and contaminated soil on the site; White said they’d see what environmental reports revealed but didn’t seem to worried. Are the every-75-feet fire extinguishers enough? The intent is for them to buy enough time that people could get away from a fire. Other questions included the eligibility requirements; those would include no registered sex offenders, and no one under 18. They are not limiting the RV spaces to vehicle residents who have been in the general area (City Councilmember Rob Saka had previously mentioned some “set asides” but no specifics were offered) – but they expect nearby areas will ultimately see fewer RVs on the street.
Regarding turnover, though, there is no time limit for clients to get out of their RVs: “The goal is for them to come in and go to housing.”
It’s not going to be a completely drug-and-alcohol-free facility, it was disclosed. The only policy regarding drugs and alcohol is that they cannot be used in the public areas. What happens inside individual RVs and tiny houses is not “policed,” said LIHI reps. But recovery services will be available.
Have they done Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design for site planning? White said no, but “we can look into it” – generally their focus has been more on fire safety, and they have an SFD plan for that. Pressed again on the point of crime prevention, they stressed the plan for security staff and that they would have cameras, though no specifics about their location or monitoring plan were offered.
There are 11 businesses nearby – will they be able to visit the site and look around? Kidane promised a tour.
Regarding Glassyard Commons being the only RV lot in Seattle/King County, is that expected to remain true for a while?
Grant replied that “we want to see geographic equity … Our hope is that we can open up more RV programs in the future,” though he indicated they don’t have any target sites yet. “We know we need more.”
WHAT’S NEXT: The construction-permit application for Glassyard Commons remains under review by the city, with more documents filed today, including the full plan set (not available online) and the “religious sponsor MOU” document, which includes more on how the site will be operated
Thursday, we reported on Seattle Fire crews rescuing “two large dogs” from a 30-foot embankment in The Arroyos. It was in an off-the-beaten-path-enough area that there was no way we could get there for photos, so we asked SFD if their crew might make any available. Today, they did, above and below:
We asked SFD spokesperson Kaila Lafferty if she had any information about the circumstances: “The two dogs escaped from their fenced back yard. It is unclear how they got out of the fenced yard and ended up down the bluff.”
Checking the overnight police log, we noticed what was logged as a robbery response in the Harbor Avenue 7-Eleven vicinity. But as revealed by archived audio and the report narrative we subsequently requested and obtained, it wasn’t a store holdup. A man called police from there to say he’d been beaten and robbed by “acquaintances” he had gone to Alki to hang out with. The victim said he met up with them after taking a rideshare from his home in Des Moines. After they’d “hung out for a while,” the report says, they beat him up and stole his cell phone, shoes, and pants, along with everything in his pockets. They then took off in a vehicle – no description other than “sedan” in the redacted report narrative – and left him behind; he managed to make his way to the 7-11 and call 911. SFD evaluated his injuries, described as including a “laceration above his right eye,” but he didn’t want to be taken to a hospital, so SPD drove him home to Des Moines. If you have any information, the case number is 2026-062578.
11:56 AM: That’s happening on the uphill side of Highland Park Way right now, near the bottom of the hill – firefighters trying to put out what’s logged as a “car fire.” Police are en route to help with traffic control. Avoid the area.
NOON: The live traffic camera in the area shows firefighters appear to have extinguished the fire. Still hard to tell from the angle exactly what it was that burned – whether a trailer or something else. Of note, before it was out, firefighters said over the radio that the hydrant in the area was on the south (downhill) side of the street, so if this had been a protracted firefight, they would have had to shut down both directions of traffic to reach the hydrant with a hose.
A week and a half ago, we brought you Alki resident Charlotte Starck‘s story about her plan to journey to Detroit with a creation that had a place in automotive-industry history as well as family history – a 1930 Fisher Body Napoleonic model coach built by her late grandfather Irvin Starck, a Boeing machinist who put 18,000 hours into it over 55 years. Now Charlotte, her brother Jim Starck, and their special delivery, have arrived.
We asked Charlotte to let us know when she got there so we could publish a followup. She and her brother transported the coach in its container, which her grandfather also built:
Charlotte said the delivery was a two-site adventure:
First we met General Motors Director of Corporate Giving and Heritage Heidi Magyar at the new global headquarters for General Motors. They just moved in mid-January.
Then north 25 minutes to the new GM Heritage Center under construction that is the home for the coach now. We handed off to left to right in top photo) Rebecca Bushman and Chief of Heritage Kevin Kirbitz.
It is by far the most beautiful. They have a few others.
Charlotte adds that they were told theirs is the only known documented 193 inaugural-year coach, and that many historians think the early 1930 Fisher Body Guild coaches might have been the most technically sophisticated youth-craftsmanship-competition objects ever made in the U.S.
P.S. She’s been invited back when the Heritage Center opens.
(Three River Otters off Duwamish Head, photographed by Steven Rice)
Here’s what’s happening today/tonight – mostly from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
SOUTH SEATTLE COLLEGE GARDEN CENTER Spring gets ever closer! See what’s new at the center, open today, 10 am-3 pm at north end of South Seattle College (WSB sponsor) campus (6000 16th SW).
STAY ‘N’ PLAY: Free indoor playtime for little ones and their caregivers is back at Arbor Heights Community Church (4113 SW 102nd), 10-11:30 am.
BABY STORY TIME: 11 am at Delridge Library (5423 Delridge Way SW).
FREE TAX HELP: Drop in at Southwest Library (9010 35th SW) 11 am-4 pm and get free help with your taxes!
LOG HOUSE MUSEUM: Visit the Log House Museum (61st/Stevens) to learn about and enjoy local history – open noon-4 pm today.
ENGLISH CONVERSATION CIRCLE: Winter session continues at High Point Library (3411 SW Raymond), 12:30 pm-2 pm Fridays, no registration required.
GIRL SCOUT COOKIE BOOTHS: Second weekend! Look for nearby booth locations and times here. Cookies $6/box this year, except for $7 gluten-free Toffee-tastic.
TASTING ROOM AND WINE BAR: Viscon Cellars (5910 California SW; WSB sponsor) is open 5-9 pm Fridays. Stop in to sip, or buy by the bottle.
OPEN MIC AT THE COFFEEHOUSE: 6-8 pm, perform or watch at C & P Coffee (5612 California SW; WSB sponsor).
LIVE AT KENYON HALL: Fox and Bones featuring Brittany Collins – “offbeat folksters” – 7 pm at Kenyon Hall (7904 35th SW), ticket info here.
HARRY STYLES LISTENING PARTY: 7 pm at Easy Street Records (4559 California SW), be one of the first to hear his new music! All ages, no cover.
CLASSIC BINGO: 7 pm at Admiral Pub (2306 California SW), with “Richard, the sassiest host in Seattle.” Free to play. 21+.
LIVE AT THE SKYLARK: Live music with Greg Hoy and the Boys, Full Life Crisis, Square Peg, doors at 7, show at 8. $10 cover. (3803 Delridge Way SW)
SPINNING: Revelry Room is open tonight (4547 California SW), with DJ Tony H, 9 pm.
‘MAKE IT LOUD’ SKATING WITH MUSIC: Tonight, skate to live music with Whalien & Chonk, 9 pm at Southgate Roller Rink (9646 17th SW). 21+. $20 cover/$5 skates.
If you have something to showcase on our event lists or ongoing calendar, please email what/when/where/etc. info to westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
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