Thanks to Kristina for spotting and asking about police activity a few hours ago at California/Brandon, by West Seattle Nursery. Turns out it was about something up the block – Southwest Precinct Lt. Ron Smith says, “Three juvenile males (were) arrested for graffiti with spray paint cans on Rite-Aid.” This brings up something we’ve been meaning to mention: Six months into our experimental collaboration with the Seattle Times, we and the other neighborhood-news partners are joining the Times in launching the collaboration’s first citywide reporting project – taking a look at the state of the graffiti/tagging-vandalism situation around Seattle. What do YOU think needs a closer look here in West Seattle – specific trouble spots? New trends you’re seeing? Success stories? The offenders? The victims? Or? Post a comment with your thoughts, or if you don’t want to comment publicly, send e-mail, a Facebook message, whatever works. Thank you!
ORIGINAL 8:52 PM REPORT: We’ve been covering it via Twitter at our live-events account, @wsblive – and now the game’s over. The Chief Sealth High School boys’ varsity basketball team beat Seattle Prep – 66-61, the scoreboard read, when the buzzer sounded. Friday night, they’ll play Rainier Beach, which beat Franklin in the other Metro League semifinal game, 73-63.
DETAILS/VIDEO ADDED 10:47 PM: Seattle Prep made a game of it in the last 90 seconds, but Chief Sealth’s big night at the free-throw line helped them to pull out a 66-61 win. Prep pulled within three points with less than a minute to go, but this foul by Prep’s Julian Mason sent junior Keon Lewis to the free-throw line, where he converted both shots to put the Seahawks up by five with less than 20 seconds to go:
Lewis was roughed up three times on the night, leaving the game in the third quarter after he went down clutching his knee just after the second half started. He returned a few minutes later and managed to put up 14 points. He was only outscored on the night by teammate Tomas Ogbaslassie, who had 18 points, 10 of those from foul shots.
Sealth managed to keep Prep from moving the ball inside for the better part of the night while controlling the rebound for all but the last quarter. The Seahawks two big scoring runs came when they forced Prep into playing a game of run and shoot which made Prep routinely lose control of the ball. It was Sealth’s own foul trouble in the fourth that managed to get Prep within striking distance of a win. Prep’s top scorer was sophomore Mitch Brewe, who had 21 points. Sealth moves on to play Rainier Beach on Friday night at 6 pm at SPU.
This advisory is just in from King County Public Health – a confirmed case of measles in a child who visited some West Seattle businesses during a time last week when s/he might have been contagious – no reason to panic, the county says, but it needs you to know this just the same – read on:Read More
We checked this out when it happened a few hours ago (thanks to Kevin for the call about the big police response) but it was over so fast we didn’t publish anything at the time; however, we’ve received some questions since, so here’s what we know: The big police response atRoxhill Park after 3 this afternoon involved a suspected stolen car, according to the officer we talked with at the scene. They were questioning two suspects; we don’t have updated information on whether the two were arrested. Scary moments for people who were at the park at the time, according to one witness, who says, “About 3:10 today my niece and I were on the swings at Roxhill Park when cops come in and yell to clear the park, they’ve got two suspects on the ground and guns drawn. … there was a green Eagle Talon parked next to my car that they were going thru pretty thoroughly.”
We’ve just confirmed with Seattle Parks that Superintendent Tim Gallagher has decided NOT to go with the Parks Board‘s recommendation regarding tobacco use in parks – and will instead put a full tobacco-use ban into place. It’s part of Gallagher’s final decision on the “Code of Conduct” that the board reviewed over the past month. He issued a memo today including this:
The Board (by a vote of 3-2) recommended limiting the ban on tobacco products (Section 3.2.10) to select areas within parks. The inclusion of a ban on tobacco products is in response to the recommendation from Public Health: Seattle King County (Attachment 1) and Seattle City Council members. It is also a stated goal in the Departments 2008 Strategic Action Plan (2.A.3) which was developed through extensive community input. The majority of the comments received by the Board on the Code of Conduct supported the prohibition as well. The negative health effects of tobacco are well documented. As an agency that has as a fundamental mission to support the health and wellbeing of Seattle residents, it is appropriate and beneficial to prohibit the use of tobacco products at parks and park facilities. I have decided to retain the language proposed by staff prohibiting smoking, chewing or other tobacco use anywhere on Parks and Recreation property.
Here’s the full, final Code of Conduct. Side note: Parks Board chair Jackie Ramels is scheduled to talk about this and other parks issues at tomorrow night’s meeting of the Alki Community Council(of which she’s a former president), 7 pm Thursday, Alki UCC.
People who live in, and travel through, North Delridge/Pigeon Point/Puget Ridge are still working to sort out how they’ll get around when a section of 23rd SW, just southeast of Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, closes for up to six weeks starting next Monday, so a sewer line can be extended to new homes that are being built in the area. Yesterday, we published the Route 125 bus re-routing information from Metro; today, SDOTconfirms the parking restrictions that will be put into place, with signs going up as soon as tomorrow. There’s a pedestrian advisory too. Read on for details:Read More
King County Executive Dow Constantine says he’ll keep pushing for federal help to replace the South Park Bridge – which the county has said will have to close, , potentially as soon as this summer, if money can’t be found to keep it open. This, as word comes that the county did NOT get the “TIGER” grant (explained here) it was seeking (here’s a national overview on what DID get funded – locally, it included the city’s “Mercer Mess” $30 million request). We’re pursuing other details on this, but for starters, read on for Constantine’s statement (followed by, added 3:19 pm, Councilmember Jan Drago‘s statement):Read More
From last night’s West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting, the latest local crime stats, as presented by Southwest Precinct Lt. Norm James. For context (we clarified this last night) – these stats are from the month preceding the meeting, so “January” means mid-December to mid-January, “February” means mid-January to mid-February, and they are for the entire SW Precinct territory, which includes South Park as well as West Seattle. Lt. James noted that the stats are fresh for these meetings because the WSCPC meetings happen to come hours after a regular citywide meeting at which precinct-by-precinct stats are presented. Category by category:
UP – ARMED ROBBERIES: 7 in February, up from 2 in January
*Key point: Police are investigating a “pattern of armed robberies” attributed to the same three suspects. Five were in West Seattle, one outside city jurisdiction, “south county.” Four were mini-market robberies (including the Feb. 4 7-11 heist that yielded the photo above), late night or early morning, one involved someone “walking down the street.” All involved three suspects, one with a handgun. No arrests yet. The Feb. 8 Jack-in-the-Box holdup was NOT part of the pattern (no arrests yet in that either).
*What’s being done: “We’re doing surveillance on all the mini-marts,” Lt. James said. He also noted that the pattern robbers have been inactive “for almost two weeks now.”
As for other major crime categories – read on for the rest of the stats:Read More
DELRIDGE NEIGHBORHOODS DISTRICT COUNCIL: Reps from community councils and organizations in eastern West Seattle gather monthly to talk about what’s new and what’s ahead, and you’re invited to join them. When they meet tonight at 7 in the theater at Youngstown Arts Center, the agenda also includes an update on Camp Long‘s renovation project and local proposals for the Neighborhood Projects Fund.
FREE WOMEN’S-SELF-DEFENSE CLASS:Sima Martial Arts (WSB sponsor) is presenting this free class at 7:15 tonight at the Sima studio in The Junction, 4711 42nd SW (across from the north end of Jefferson Square). Call 935-4531 to sign up.
In the WSB Forums, there’s been talk of forming a network for Block Watchcaptains in West Seattle – since there’s no official way for them to communicate right now, they’re launching an informal organization. Several met to talk in person Monday afternoon – then at Tuesday night’s West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting, the next step was announced: A Facebook group is now set up to organize the West Seattle Blockwatch Captains’ Network. If you head up a Block Watch in West Seattle, go here to join. They’re not trying to set up a new place to report crime, but rather, to bring West Seattle neighborhoods together to prevent it. (Don’t have a Block Watch? Form one with the help of SPD Southwest Precinct Crime Prevention CoordinatorBenjamin Kinlow – go here.) More from last night’s meeting, including the latest local crime trends, later this morning.
Thanks to Kristina for spotting and 
People who live in, and travel through, North Delridge/Pigeon Point/Puget Ridge are still working to sort out how they’ll get around when a section of 23rd SW, just southeast of 
captains in West Seattle – since there’s no official way for them to communicate right now, they’re launching an informal organization. Several met to talk in person Monday afternoon – then at Tuesday night’s
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