West Seattle Crime Watch: “Admiral action” addendum, more
First, for those who wondered about the activity at Westwood Village tonight:
One witness tells us it appeared someone had been hit and badly hurt, but we don’t have any official info so far. (SUNDAY UPDATE: We do have info now; see the comments.) Now, before we get to some additional Southwest Precinct reports from the past few days, a little more about the two arrest situations very early this morning in east Admiral. First, the catalytic-converter theft: One of the victims who spotted the suspect cutting a converter out from under their truck e-mailed WSB to say:
What they are after are catalytic converters, which for our truck costs $700. If you have trucks that are high enough off the ground for easy access, these guys are cutting and grabbing.
Further, we have learned through speaking to the police and our auto repair shop that this is a widespread problem across Seattle and it’s typically Meth drug addicts trying to making quick money. Based on the cuts they made under (our) truck these guys were amateurs but they are BRAZEN and their lack of experience did not stop them from obtaining a pickup load of catalytic converters that (we) and one of the policemen found. Please alert your neighbors and be aware of suspicious behavior!
Police tell WSB the converters are sold as parts, not for scrap metal as you might suspect. The other case in the area, involving a woman arrested for allegedly stealing a newspaper carrier’s car and crashing it into parked cars nearby, has one side note: According to the report, the 24-year-old woman caught in the stolen car told officers “she only took the car because she was afraid of going back to jail and she wanted to get away from all the cops in the area. (She) stated, ‘I just got out of jail for a VUCSA and I don’t want to go back’.” (VUCSA means drug crime.) She then admitted she had three rocks of cocaine on her. (Jail records indeed show she was in jail Tuesday night through Wednesday night; following this morning’s arrest, she’s still there now.” More police reports ahead:Read More
3811 California: Landmark nomination published, meeting set
We’ve been tracking the fate of 3811 California (left), the brick apartments that a developer has proposed razing and replacing with a 4-story mixed-use building. But first, the city has to decide if the buildings qualify for landmark status. As the next step in the process, the 46-page landmark-nomination document has just been posted on the city website – you can download it here (it’s fascinating to browse – detailed history, photos old and new, inside and outside – and more). Also posted on the Landmarks Board site: the official notice of a public meeting on the nomination, 3:30 pm Feb. 20, 40th floor of the Municipal Tower downtown. In the meantime, if you have an opinion on the proposed landmark status, as we mentioned earlier this week, you can e-mail Landmarks Board coordinator Beth Chave at beth.chave@seattle.gov.
Hong Bao Na Lai (Happy Lunar New Year!)
From WSB contributing photojournalist Matt Durham: “Lafayette Elementary School students and parent volunteers celebrate the ‘Year of the Rat’ Friday afternoon by parading through the school’s halls. To simulate fireworks, twenty-foot lengths of bubble wrap were rolled out for the students to march over; the sound was deafening!” (Prints of Matt’s WSB photos and his other work are available through his site, MattDurhamPhotography.com.)
2 more politix pix: Obama crowd in Seattle, JP in Olympia
ADDED 6 PM: Thanks to Cami for sending this close-up photo from the Obama KeyArena rally:
From earlier:
That’s one more from Josh at KeyArena earlier, while Sen. Obama was speaking. If you squint at the stage on the lower right quadrant of the pic, you’ll see Rep. Adam Smith, Gov. Gregoire (in the reddish-pinkish top), and West Seattle’s Most Famous Politician (bringing that phrase back for old times’ sake) behind him. For those who asked if the speech was archived anywhere yet – just checked all four tv news sites, both dailies, plus Slog … not yet. Now, a photo from Olympia:
We told you last night that West Seattle’s state Sen. Joe McDermott was introducing a resolution today honoring Chris “JP Patches” Wedes on the 50th anniversary of the start of his classic local kids’ TV show. This pic sent by Sen. McDermott features him with Chris Wedes – sans the makeup – and the senator’s cousin Emmett Blake (“Patches Pals and West Seattleites both,” notes Sen. M). Also, he sent a link to the text of the resolution introduced today.
West Seattle Crime Watch: “Admiral action” early today
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That’s how the subject line put it, in a reader e-mail we just received, simultaneous with info that also came in from the Southwest Precinct. First, the reader report:
I just wanted to let you know about some Crime Watch activity here in N. Admiral late last night. A little after 3 am we awoke to a car alarm a few houses down at 39th and Stevens. A few moments later there was a strange sound like an engine revving really fast, but somehow different. I’m really not sure what was going on since a large tree blocked my view. Almost immediately, a police cruiser approached from Stevens. With lights on, officers got out of the car and began apprehending someone. There was a lot of shouting from the police and the suspect. … Anyways, lots more police cars showed up, and a few neighbors went up and talked to some of the officers. … A couple of the cruisers started looking around the street at other parked cars. I got the impression that they weren’t looking for another person, just more car damage. After about half an hour or so, all the excitement seemed to settle and we went back to bed.
Now, here’s what the Southwest Precinct says that was all about – we’ll paraphrase their account: Near the 2600 block of 39th SW, a citizen interrupted at least two thieves stealing the catalytic converter from his car, parked on the street. He called 911 and chased two male suspects. Officers “contained the area”; a K-9 team started tracking and found one “adult male suspect” four blocks away. Then the K-9 team started following another track that “led back to the theft scene.” At 39th and Stevens, officers heard a vehicle crashing into parked cars and speeding southbound; they stopped the damaged car and arrested an “adult female who had just stolen the car from a paper boy while he was out of the car momentarily.” She’s been booked for investigation of theft and a drug violation; police subsequently found the other suspect’s parked truck, containing stolen auto parts and tools — the man was booked for investigation of theft and malicious mischief. 7:30 PM ADDENDUM: After reviewing the reports at the Southwest Precinct, turns out this is a convoluted tale involving two separate incidents … also, the catalytic-converter theft angle is an alarming trend. More on this in a Crime Watch update later tonight.
Meet a winner: Larry Carpenter
Last month, we announced the winners of the first quarterly West Seattle Community Recognition Awards, 
a new way to honor West Seattleites working to make a difference — the brainchild of Julie Mireille Anderson from Divina, with the nominating process open to everyone in West Seattle. As we open the next round of nominations, we are profiling the first three winners — people you may or may not have heard about or met, people whose hard work makes West Seattle a better place. Yesterday, we told you about Cindi Barker from the Morgan Community Association; today, Larry Carpenter from the Alki Community Council and Southwest Seattle Historical Society, who has stories galore to tell, starting with the one about the day he and his wife started the cross-country drive to get here:Read More
Just out of the (postal) mailbox: Station 37 open house
It’s not often these days that we get first word of things from postal mail, 
but it just happened. According to a postcard from the city, an open house is planned to show off the design of the new Fire Station 37, 2-4 pm Saturday 2/23, at the old Station 37 (seen at left, address 7300 35th SW; postcard promises “meet your neighborhood firefighters and tour the engine” too).
Meet the newest WSB sponsor: Ventana Construction
Taking a quick moment on a busy day to welcome the latest WSB sponsor: Ventana Construction (5458 California SW, 932-3009). Here’s what the folks at Ventana want you to know about them: “Ventana Construction is a full-service remodeling contractor based in West Seattle. We are a family-owned business with a full staff of skilled craftsmen. 
We specialize in custom homes, whole-house remodels, and additions, with a focus on seamlessly blending the new areas with the existing home. We also do total facelifts on kitchens, baths and basements and build spectacular outdoor gathering places. We work closely with architects to build functional spaces with inspired design and stellar finishes. Creative solutions and unusual materials make our projects stand out. From custom-built Craftsman-style railings to modern steel and green materials, we build homes that exceed expectations. A successful project is equal parts quality construction and effective management. Our experienced project managers and office staff provide clear communication and the tools to track project costs and stay on schedule. We provide weekly reports on completion and a master calendar that includes deadlines for all material ordering. Those steps make for a calm, logical and predictable building process. We are Built Green members of the Master Builders Association and members of the National Association of Homebuilders. We are also members of the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce and the Better Business Bureau. Come visit us in our new offices at the corner of California and Findlay in West Seattle to find out more about our construction services. Or visit our website to learn more: www.ventanabuilds.com.” Thanks to Ventana for supporting WSB; to find out how to join the WSB sponsor team, check out our Advertise page.
Caucus Eve update: Obama crowd heading into the Key
Equal time for last night’s Sen. Clinton publicity: Sen. Obama is touring a South Seattle business this morning and speaking at KeyArena early this afternoon – we spun by about an hour ago and noted a good-sized crowd on the west side of the Key – listening to the scanner, they have just opened the doors and it sounds like madness — just heard something about the line stretching to Fifth Avenue (east of Seattle Center). One quote from somebody on the scanner: “This is the longest line I have ever seen in my entire life.” Many citywide media outlets are promising to cover the speech live, including KIRO Radio and KING5.com, which promises to stream an Obama event shortly, and is streaming Sen. Clinton’s Tacoma town hall right now. (Info on tomorrow’s caucus is linked from the top right of this page; we’ll be adding to that info shortly.) TRAFFIC ALERT: We’re also hearing about traffic woes on East Marginal because of Sen. Obama’s visit to McKinstry, so that’s a good area to avoid till he’s moved on to the Key around noontime. 10:40 AM ADDENDUM: Back at the Key, latest radio chatter sounds like they’re expecting capacity and turnaways.
Got a bike you need to bag?
As you can tell from the WSB Events page, and the forthcoming West Seattle Weekend Lineup list, tomorrow is going to be an extremely busy Saturday around West Seattle — and not just because of the caucuses. We’ve spotlighted many of the events in advance and here’s one more that might require some preparation: If you have used bikes or bike parts to donate, they’re being collected at PCC in West Seattle (location info) 11 am-3 pm tomorrow, in the “Bikes for Education” drive. According to a PCC spokesperson: “Donated bikes will be crated and shipped, at the expense of the Alaffia Sustainable Skin Care Company, to Togo, Africa, for distribution to school kids who now walk up to 10 miles every day to get to school. Kids who bring their old bikes during the drive can even have their photos taken with their donations; the photos will be given to the bike recipients in Africa.” (10:50 AM ADDITION: PCC confirms, child AND adult bikes and bike parts welcome, “in any condition.”)
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