West Seattle Crime Watch: Package thieves strike newlyweds
Suzanne has a reminder after grinchy thieves struck her doorstep near 28th/Webster [map] on a day otherwise full of joyous memories:
I had a FedEx package stolen from my Sunrise Heights home on Friday night. It was a wedding gift to my new husband, to whom I was getting married on the same day it got stolen. FedEx will probably cover it, but the thief is still a worthless lowlife. Be sure to have packages delivered to work addresses or held at the PO this season!
West Seattle Christmas lights: Shining alongside The Bridge
Continuing our West Seattle Christmas lights showcase: If you drive the Fauntleroy side of the west end of The Bridge at night, you’ll notice several well-lit homes — including the one you see above in the 4000 block – this year, the row of houses looks brighter than ever. It’s a little tricky to reach – the turn is off 35th, north of where the main stretch of Fauntleroy becomes The Bridge – here’s a map. Got a brightly lit home or street to share with us and other West Seattle holiday-light lovers? Let us know – editor@westseattleblog.com. The archive of lights we’ve featured so far is here, including video of the Helmstetler Family’s set-to-music display by the Charlestown water tower and the Menashe Family home on Beach Drive, and homes from past years (this one, in fact, we showed two years ago – though you can tell there’ve been many additions!). Lots more holiday activities, sights and sounds on the West Seattle Holidays page (including the Christmas Ship schedule for this weekend!).
Steve Bushaw murder case: Victim’s sister speaks out
Tomorrow, the suspects charged with murder in the February 1st West Seattle shooting death of Steve Bushaw are expected in court. The case has been much-discussed since we first reported the 4 arrests last week, then details of the charges. According to court documents, the suspects believed the victim was responsible for a crime for which he was never charged; the documents include no evidence of his involvement in that crime. The Bushaw family has declined requests for comment as the 10-month investigation proceeded, but the victim’s sister, Tanya Bushaw, asked if we would publish something she wanted to say on her brother’s behalf – here is her statement in its entirety:
Over the past ten months my family has decided to keep our comments to ourselves regarding the killing of my brother, Stevie Bushaw. We didn’t know any details as the detectives could not tell us anything due to it being an active, on-going investigation. However, on Tuesday when we found out police had arrested 4 men who were involved in his murder we were so relieved, excited, and sad all at the same time. We finally had some sort of resolution to this situation and more insight as to what happened that night. Despite these arrests, it is still an on-going investigation and we only know what has been written in the charging documents.
You cannot imagine how hard it is to hear your son/brother say “Bye, I’ll be back. I’m going to have a beer with Bryce” and then 15 minutes later he is dead and you have no idea why or how it happened. You only know he will not be back…ever!
Before this I only saw my dad cry twice, maybe three times in my life and now he cries everyday. My mother, in addition to all her tears, was sure her heart shrunk because her chest felt sunken after this happened. My daughter, 4, has had to learn about death, guns, and “bad guys” that use guns to kill people. Too many nights I had to hold her and calm her down from crying so hard because she missed her Uncle Stevie. As a whole we are all very sensitive to each other’s well being in fear that we might lose another member of this family.
(Editor’s note: That is Tanya’s daughter, Ava, held by Steve Bushaw in the photo above, shared earlier this year by the family. Tanya’s statement continues after the jump.)Read More
West Seattle Crime Watch: Yet more homophobic-graffiti vandalism
Over the past three months (starting again in September), we have reported more incidences of vandalism involving profane anti-gay slurs, usually appearing on business and park property in Morgan Junction and north of Lincoln Park. 
This morning, we have received reports indicating that the vandalism happened again multiple times overnight: Jim e-mailed to report the word “pedophile” (misspelled) painted on a business window south of Morgan Junction, which relates to the theme of the unprintable slur that has appeared most often. And we just received a report of vandalism on a private residence’s garage door along 42nd SW northeast of Morgan Junction, and that victim tells us the investigating officer confirmed multiple reports. To recap, the man who was arrested for this same type of vandalism earlier this year was charged, but the charges were dropped when he was found not competent to stand trial; while there’s been no declaration that he is definitely responsible for the latest incidents in the past few months, police have said they continue looking for him – no permanent address, apparently – to question him about what’s happened. At last month’s West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting (WSB coverage here), police were asked for a description; acting Community Police Team Sgt. Adonis Topacio said “white male, late 20s, early 30s, always looks stressed out” and an attendee said he was known to wear hoodies. Police also have reiterated that their best hope is for someone to see the vandalism as it happens and to call 911. We’re checking with the precinct again today to see if there’s anything new to share from their standpoint.
Today/tonight: Viaduct alert; council interviews; Hi-Yu looks ahead
TRAFFIC ALERT TODAY: SDOT is closing the southbound right-hand lane on the Alaskan Way Viaduct for railing repairs, 8 am-3:30 pm today, tomorrow and Wednesday, between South Massachusetts Street and South Holgate Street (a short stretch south of the stadiums, parallel to what’s marked on this map).
THIS MORNING: The four finalists for appointment to the King County Council seat that represents West Seattle – held by Dow Constantine until he became County Executive — are scheduled to be interviewed by councilmembers today, during their Committee of the Whole meeting, starting at 9:30 am. More here.
TONIGHT: West Seattle Hi-Yu‘s meeting will not only feature the group’s holiday celebration, but also the general-membership meeting that’s scheduled to choose the theme of next year’s festival. 6:30 pm, St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church (3050 California SW).
HOLIDAYS: Ongoing holiday events, giving opportunities, etc. – all on the West Seattle Holidays page.
West Seattle Yacht Club sails in the Seafair Holiday Cruise
Thanks to Alison Jeffries for sharing the story of the West Seattle Yacht Club’s adventure Sunday in the Seafair Special People’s Holiday Cruise – it’s the area’s biggest parade of decorated boats, whose owners volunteer to take developmentally disabled people along for the cruise of Seattle’s inland waters. Alison says almost 400 boats were in it today, including:
Seven of us from the West Seattle Yacht Club participated today, joining together on one boat, Ohana, owned by Bob & Linda Schrader. Also on board were Joy & Guy Smith (of the Joy Smith Wildlife Raft fame), Kevin and Alison Jeffries and daughter Kirsten (who goes to Denny Middle School). All 7 of us live in West Seattle. We hosted 3 special people and two chaperones from Sunnyside, WA in eastern WA. The special people were delighted by things large and small – a deck of cards, lights on a boat, being on a boat! One of our guests danced and skipped down the dock to the boat as he was so excited! While the event was to create a wonderful experience for the special people, it was truly the 7 of us who had the best experience. Our three special people reminded us of the joy of being on the water in Seattle, and the excitement of small and special moments. I am so thankful to these three for sharing their lives with us today. What a wonderful way to start the holiday season
Here’s a bit of the excitement, followed by the Santa sighting:
We haven’t mentioned the WSYC here in a while, but Alison adds some info for those who haven’t heard of it before:
West Seattle Yacht Club is a low-key, fun group that meets monthly at the Masonic Hall in West Seattle. The club goes on 10-12 cruises a year all around the Sound and spends a lot of time playing and laughing! The club’s members have all kinds of boats – power and sail, large and small. Many members live in West Seattle but some do live outside of our fabulous part of the city. Anyone with a boat can join, dues are low and reciprocal benefits around Puget Sound are fantastic.
More at westseattleyachtclub.com.
Before the weekend, we mentioned the sign project that closed part of I-5 south of West Seattle last weekend and was scheduled to expand northward this weekend. Just got word from
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