West Seattle, Washington
08 Thursday
Thanks to Marty and Lia for e-mail about an early-morning SWAT sighting near Anchor Park on Alki Avenue SW (map); traffic was blocked for a while but Marty says it IS now getting through, and that the officers had announced themselves on arrival as there to serve a warrant. He also says SWAT’s gone but other police vehicles remain. We’re checking with SPD for additional info.
(WSB video by Cliff DesPeaux)
Caroling can be a hoot – as that group of neighbors/church friends found out as they serenaded part of High Point last night with a truly merry round of Christmas songs. Thanks to Fred for inviting WSB to follow along for last night’s musical meandering!
(WSB photos by Christopher Boffoli)
It was a sweet way to start the winter: Before the solstice-sunset-viewing event we had been telling you about, there was a solstice-welcoming event at Fauntleroy’s Solstice Park. Though the sun didn’t make an appearance, there were chocolates courtesy of Chef Tiberio Simone from La Figa Catering and Specialty Desserts. He identified himself as a solstice aficionado. And what a place to await the moment itself, 3:38 pm Tuesday:
In addition to Chef Simone and other aficionados, the media turnout included a crew working on a documentary about solstice events. The celebration included a countdown to the solstice moment, as participants gathered in a circle, hugged, and clapped.
About 40 minutes later, more than 30 people were at the park to watch the solstice sunset – or what they knew was the solstice sunset somewhere behind the clouds – with astro-expert Alice Enevoldsen; our partners at the Seattle Times have the full story on that. (added) Here’s Alice in action (photo by Jason Gift Enevoldsen):
(WSB photo by Katie Meyer)
If you remained skeptical even after our story last week about the official permit paperwork progressing for the future West Seattle Trader Joe’s – here’s new proof it’s advancing. Property owner Steve Huling called WSB tonight to let us (and you!) know that the official city sign has gone up to tell all interested parties that the site is under environmental review for a land-use permit (as you can see here), and we just procured our own photographic proof. As noted in our earlier coverage, and in the permit applications, they are not demolishing any buildings, so this isn’t expected to be a long construction process; most recent estimated opening date was sometime in the spring. (P.S. As discussed in comments on our previous story, the “environmentally critical area” on the site involves a steep slope. The sign posting opens a comment period for this review of the project; here’s official city info on how to comment.)
We finally have key details on a Fauntleroy/California car-vs.-pedestrian crash this afternoon that several people e-mailed to ask about, almost all worrying that “it looked bad.” Seattle Fire had told us they didn’t take anyone to the hospital – but their records didn’t indicate whether that meant “nobody went to the hospital” or “private ambulance took someone to the hospital.” Tonight, Southwest Precinct Lt. Alan Williams just found that information for us: He says a private ambulance did take the pedestrian to the hospital (which usually means the injuries were *not* life-threatening). He also says the driver who hit the pedestrian was “cited for right-of-way at crosswalk.”
Three West Seattle wildlife notes tonight: First, that photo from Creighton came with this explanation: “Found a red-tail hawk in my Genesee Hill backyard today, finishing up his breakfast of one very unlucky starling.” (9:04 pm update from comments – apparently a sharp-shinned hawk!)
Second, Guy Smith has just provided his second annual report on the arrival of brant – the small, white-ringed-neck geese – on West Seattle shores:
Our brant showed up just after noon today on winter solstice; nearly a month later than normal. Was their late arrival weather-related? Probably, but we don’t know for sure. This is only the second time in the last 17 years they have been this late. But to paraphrase from the brant story published last (November); “On this chilly, shortest day of 2010, our brant and their young winged into the shore north of Alki Point, made a pass, then banked south around the point to the waters along West Seattle, where they will winter and start their annual cycle again.”
Last but not least, a coyote report from Wendy:
I was on my way home on Tuesday night around 10 pm, driving up Marine View Drive. Just past the intersection of SW 106th I realized I was following a coyote that was on a dead run down the middle of the Drive. It turned down into the Arroyos on 42nd Ave SW, flew down the hill, and turned left onto SW 109th St, where I lost track of it. It looked healthy and well fed. There are quite a few cats in our neighborhood; I hope people keep them in at night!
SPD Blotter reported this afternoon that police have arrested a man suspected in three pharmacy robberies, including one in West Seattle. The arrest happened today, with the help of citizens:
Since early October, a lone white male was believed to be responsible for three pharmacy robberies. The first two occurred at a chain pharmacy at locations in West Seattle and on Capitol Hill. The most recent occurred downtown on December 14th, in the 800 Block of 3rd Avenue. The suspect would usually imply a weapon and demand prescription drugs.
Today, December 21st, at approximately 11:40 AM, a white male armed with a knife attempted to rob a pharmacy located in the 900 Block of 4th Avenue. The suspect approached the pharmacist and demanded the drugs. Several employees and customers jumped on the suspect and held him until police arrived. He was immediately taken into custody. Robbery detectives responded and processed the scene. The 33 year old male was interviewed by detectives and admitted to the robberies. He was booked into the King County Jail for Investigation of Robbery. The Robbery detectives will continue with the followup investigation.
The only “chain pharmacy” robbery we’ve covered since early October is a holdup at Bartell Drugs in Jefferson Square on October 9th. We’ve got a message out to SPD to ask if that’s the one to which they say this suspect has confessed.
Just out of the WSB inbox, Seattle City Light‘s announcement that its program for recycling old refrigerators – not only free pickup, but also a rebate – is back. Details ahead:Read More
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
In most communities, an announcement about renovations in the works for a motel would be greeted with a shrug, if that.
But when your community has only *one* motel, as is the case in West Seattle, it’s big news. So that’s why, after publishing the news release sent last week on behalf of the Seattle West Inn‘s new owners/management, we pursued more information about what’s in the works.
Read on to see what we found out from the two key players with whom we spoke:Read More
(WSB photos by Christopher Boffoli)
Thanks go to Lynda and Nancy for alerting us to this sad sight: Two young trees destroyed in front of Madison Middle School (north of the main entrance path, as the top photo shows). When we heard about it, we wondered if it was related to our recent bouts of wind, but Christopher Boffoli went over for photos and reports it’s clear they were taken down by a hatchet or pick-axe. (Note the debris in the next photo.)
We have a message out to police to ask if this has been reported and whether any other vandalism’s been reported in the area; no reply yet, but we’ll add any more information we get. (If you’re wondering when it happened – sometime before midnight, which is when Lynda’s note came in.)
The exact moment is 3:38 pm our time today – and from here on out, the days keep getting longer; spring and summer are in view! In addition to the winter-solstice-sunset viewing event we’ve been mentioning with West Seattle-residing NASA Solar System Ambassador Alice Enevoldsen at Solstice Park (sunset’s around 4:20 pm; if it’s not rainy, you’ll see Alice there by 3:30), two more events from the WSB West Seattle Holidays page, both presented by WSB sponsors: From the Christmastime-services list, Tibbetts United Methodist Church (3940 41st SW) invites you to tonight’s 7 pm Blue Christmas/Longest Night service, “a service for folks for whom this is not the most wonderful time of the year. … Join us for this service of reflection with music, readings and candle lighting to acknowledge the grief and pain and find a ray of hope.” … And at Merrill Gardens at West Seattle (4611 35th SW), the holiday classic “It’s a Wonderful Life” (trailer above) plays in the theater at 1 pm, free admission and snacks.
If you were among the hundreds at the West Seattle Junction Tree Lighting earlier this month, you’ll remember the Endolyne Children’s Choir. When they resume their Tuesday practices post-holidays, they’ll be welcoming new members – here’s the invitation from L. Medina:
The Endolyne Children’s Choir is wrapping up a busy Fall Session where we were able to perform for the West Seattle community at the Fauntleroy Fall Festival, Mt. St. Vincent’s, Park West, the December 4th Christmas Tree Lighting, and our annual holiday concert @ St. John’s Church. We are a non-audition choir, led by music director Maria Johnson, and we are pleased to welcome our new Encore and Debut choir director; Amy Stagno for the winter Session which starts January 4th. Our Debut Choir (grades K-2), Encore Choir (grades 3-5), and Advanced Ensemble Choir (grades 6-8) all practice Tuesday nights at St. John’s Church next to the West Seattle High School. Our purpose is to teach the joy of singing in a community setting that fosters self confidence, teamwork, and a lifelong appreciation for music. To learn more or sign your child up for our next session visit us at: www.endolynechoir.org
We’re midway through – more or less – the first lunar eclipse/winter solstice combo in 362 years (and the last one till 2094). Many around West Seattle got at least a glimpse of the disappearing moon, thanks to shifting clouds. Christopher Boffoli got the image above from The Junction within the past hour. As you might imagine, America’s space agency had its pick of angles …
NASA’s Bill Ingalls took that from Arlington, Virginia. Anything else comes in later, we’ll add – we’ve seen a lot go by on Twitter (like this one), and various galleries like this one. Coming up, there’s the winter solstice itself: West Seattle’s NASA Solar System Ambassador Alice Enevoldsen plans a sunset-viewing event tonight (Tuesday) at Solstice Park (map); 4:20 pm’s the sunset, she’s planning to be there around 3:30, unless it’s rainy (but clouds do NOT cancel – just like tonight, you never know when you’ll get a peek).
ADDED MIDDAY TUESDAY: This eclipse photo is by DLC (thanks!):
First Delridge … then Seaview … tonight we got that video from Timothy in Fairmount Heights of “wassailing” – or maybe you’d call it caroling – in the neighborhood. Any other last-minute holiday haps, let us know … the WSB West Seattle Holidays page is still up and running, including a long list of Christmas Eve/Day church services (let us know if yours isn’t there yet), and we should be adding the Christmas Eve/Day restaurants/coffee “who’ll be open” info tomorrow.
Two quick West Seattle new-business notes tonight:
(Photo by Christopher Boffoli)
35TH/BARTON 7-11 UPDATE: After a note inquiring how soon the new 7-11 (former Exxon station/minimart) would be open – serious remodeling’s been under way about a month and a half – we checked with parent corporation Southland. The reply from Margaret in media relations: “We expect the store to be open for business by December 31 … maybe earlier.” It’s been more than 13 months since WSB commenters broke the news a 7-11 was in the works for the site.
LOCOL UPDATE: The year-in-the-works neighborhood beer/wine bar (with some food) at 35th/Kenyon could open as soon as next week, according to this update on the Locöl Facebook page. (That’s in line with what co-owner Kyle Duce had told us a week ago — that he hoped to be open by month’s end.)
Two more West Seattle Crime Watch reports this afternoon. First, longtime WSB’er JanS reports in the WSB Forums that her car’s been stolen. Details here.
Second, Todd at West Seattle Autoworks (WSB sponsor) shares the latest warning about catalytic-converter theft:
A customer just called [early this afternoon] and informed me that his catalytic converter was stolen off his Toyota 4-Runner.
There was a rash of this a couple of years ago, and it may be starting again. The thieves use battery-operated saws and just cut the pipes, preferring Toyota 4WD vehicles because of ground clearance (no jacking needed) and a large market for the item.
A catalytic-converter theft was part of this WS Crime Watch report eight days ago
More help for the family of Brian Teachout: The day after 30 ornaments made by West Seattle glass artist Brad Burzynski sold out in less than an hour for almost $1,100 in donations, results are in from the weekend’s other donation drive. Here’s the report from Jim Winder from the Helmstetler Family Spectacular music-synched-lights show (our clip above is what we shot on “opening night” Nov. 27; Jim’s videos for this year aren’t up yet):
This weekend the attendance at the light show was just AMZING!! I apologize for those stuck in the traffic jams!! lol
And those who came to watch were also even MORE amazing with their generosity for the Teachout family…donating $462!!So I will be dropping off $500 in cash to the Wells Fargo Bank in the next few days.
Thanks again to the great folks of West Seattle that make this one of the best communities in the Seattle area!!!
Jim e-mailed shortly afterward with a postscript:
And I wanted to thank Brad Burzynski … he stopped by and watched the lights and presented the Helmstetlers with one of his glass ornaments for helping out the Teachouts…
Donations for the Teachout Family Fund are still being accepted at any Wells Fargo Bank. (P.S. The schedule for the Helmstetler/Winder lights, at 3908 SW Charlestown across from the water tower, is on their website at westseattlelights.com.)
(Photo by Cathy Jaramillo)
That photo of the stairs to Solstice Park (site of tomorrow night’s winter-solstice-sunset watch) is courtesy of Jake and Cathy Jaramillo, who e-mailed to share the news that their Seattle Stairway Walks website just got a mention in Sunset Magazine. Though Jake and Cathy live on Genesee Hill, they have been writing about and photographing stairways all around the city (here are the West Seattle-specific entries), “discovering and exploring the neighborhoods of Seattle through its often-hidden, always-picturesque stairways.” Though the story’s not online (so far), Jake says their mention is “at the bottom of page 36 as part of a Sunset story on L.A. stairways.”
SIDE NOTE: If this story reminded you of a tale told here earlier this year – Bob Estep and his mission to map West Seattle’s staircases – this is the perfect opportunity for us to mention that WSB contributor Keri DeTore turned more than 30 of his entries into a clickable Google Map (with number of stairs per staircase) – you can see it here.
Out of the WSB inbox, from Eric:
This morning as I was leaving I spotted a guy prowling around a house (at the corner of 46th and Hemlock Way [map]).
I walked down and looked around the house but didn’t see him. I went back up and got in my car and drove down that way. I decided to take the hairpin turn onto 46th north of Rose to get a view of the back of the neighbor’s house. The frame of her electronic dog door was lying on the ground, which got me even more suspicious. Then as I pulled forward a bit farther I could see the guy hiding up against a wall of the other neighbor’s house. Called the cops. Three units showed up within five minutes. All this time I was thinking that the neighbor whose house was being prowled was out of town, but as it turns out she was there with her little boy. Her dog finally heard the guy trying to break in and she saw him as he went running down the street.
He was a Caucasian male, under 6 feet, thin, wearing a grey hoodie under a dark
jacket … spiky blonde hair sticking out from under the hoodie.Keep your eyes peeled. And have a safe holiday, everybody.
Still need a Christmas tree? Holy Rosary just sent word that all its remaining trees are on sale as of today – half price, which means prices now range from $10 to $47.50 (with 15 percent of the price going to local charities). According to Holy Rosary Tree Lot chair Refawne Acarregui, “We have great inventory to choose from (that were just cut and delivered on 12/15). Lots of Doug Firs, Noble Firs and Grand Firs to choose from.” The lot is open 3:30-9 pm today and tomorrow, 11 am to 6 pm (or earlier if all trees are gone) on Wednesday. Remember it’s at 41st SW/SW Dakota (map) this year, between the north side of the school building and the south side of the playground, since their old site behind Admiral Safeway is now a construction zone.
(Sightseer photo from last Friday, shared by West Seattle Water Taxi enthusiast “expatom“)
Welcome to the largely-devoid-of-official-events week before Christmas, when all through the peninsula, not a meeting was stirring … There are activities, of course. Like today’s Afternoon Book Group at Southwest Library, 2 pm … It’s the fifth-to-last performance of “A Tuna Christmas” at ArtsWest (WSB sponsor), 7:30 tonight (tickets available online) … Be at Skylark Café and Club (WSB sponsor) at 7 pm to sign up for the third weekly Scrabble tournament, this time raising money for Furry Faces Foundation … And the West Seattle See Dogs club meets tonight, welcoming everyone potentially interested in helping raise a guide puppy to become a guide dog (more info here). Last but not least, you never know, there could be enough of a break in the weather tonight to glimpse at least part of the total lunar eclipse – this seattletimes.com (WSB partner) story has details.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
It’s the name behind some of the biggest nonprofit projects in West Seattle in the past decade:
*Transforming historic Cooper Elementary School into Youngstown Cultural Arts Center.
*Creating the only mixed-use building to house a Seattle Public Library branch.
*Co-developing the new home of the West Seattle Food Bank and other nonprofits adjacent to the residential units of One Community Commons.
Yet for all those high-profile projects, Delridge Neighborhoods Development Association executive director Derek Birnie admits DNDA may have a little bit of a community disconnect:
We published this photo to Twitter and Facebook earlier in hopes someone might shine a little light onto our mysterious motorcycle Santa Claus sighting this afternoon, but nothing definitive yet, so we’re casting a wider net. He rode southbound on California till its dead-end south of Thistle, then turned around and headed back northbound, which is when we managed the iPhone photo. Anyone get their presents early?
P.S. Side note in the holiday-cheer department: Thumbs-up for the Seaview carolers who serenaded their neighbors tonight. Your editor here happened to be visiting friends when the carolers stopped by for a song, and it was charming (as were the Delridge carolers we covered on Friday).
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