West Seattle, Washington

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month : 07/2012 308 results

Followup: Police donate ‘Guns ‘n’ Hoses’ prize to WS Food Bank
July 31, 2012 9:51 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle police

During this year’s West Seattle Summer Fest coverage, we brought you the tale of “Guns ‘n’ Hoses,” a Wing Dome-presented hot-wing-consumption contest pitting police against firefighters. As reported during Summer Fest Day 2, the SPD team won, which meant a $250 check, handed over this afternoon to (and at) the West Seattle Food Bank. Along with WS Food Bank executive director Fran Yeatts and WS Wing Dome GM Andy Pattalochi, our photo shows, in uniform and from the winning team, Officers Stewart, Belgarde, and Morris.

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Seafair Fleet arrivals, seen from West Seattle shores
July 31, 2012 5:36 pm
|      12 COMMENTS
 |   Seen at sea | West Seattle news

(Photo by Gary Jones)
The Seafair fleet started arriving this afternoon for tomorrow’s Parade of Ships/Flight – and many stopped to watch along Elliott Bay shores, including the photographers who shared these images. Above, that’s the guided-missile cruiser USS Bunker Hill (we’ll be on board tomorrow since it’s the official media-ridealong ship), one of several ships visiting this year.

(Photo by Doug B)
After the parade tomorrow, 1:45-2:15 along the downtown waterfront (should be visible from Alki/Duwamish Head/Harbor Avenue shoreline a little earlier), the ships will be open for tours Thursday-Sunday – hours and locations are on this Seafair webpage.

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Waste Management strike: ‘Surprise’ home pickups; free transfer-station dropoffs
July 31, 2012 2:01 pm
|      82 COMMENTS
 |   Waste Management strike | West Seattle news

(TOPLINES: Some got “surprise” pickup today; if you have Wednesday pickup, city says PUT YOUR CANS OUT, and WM says it WILL have home service in Seattle; also, starting tomorrow, you can take trash to transfer stations for free)

(Photo added 2:26 pm, WM truck turning east on Thistle from California after pickups)
2:01 PM: Though we haven’t been able to get official comment on this so far, we’ve received scattered reports of residential trash pickups in West Seattle today (described by one commenter as a “surprise”) – so if you are a Tuesday customer and you happen to be home, you might consider putting out your trash/recycling, even though the official advisories from both the city and Waste Management said not to. More as we get it.

ADDED 3:11 PM: According to The Seattle Times (WSB partner), starting tomorrow you will be able to take trash to one of the city’s two transfer stations (nearest to us is South Park) for free – with some fine print (here’s their story).

3:37 PM: Seattle Public Utilities has now sent a news release with details on the free dropoffs – and other strike updates, including advice that WEDNESDAY pickup customers should put their cans out tomorrow; read on (plus, added 10 pm, Waste Management’s statement saying it expects to serve Seattle neighborhoods tomorrow):Read More

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4724 California: How the project at the ex-Petco site is evolving
July 31, 2012 12:52 pm
|      44 COMMENTS
 |   Development | West Seattle news

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

Tomorrow, the Junction development at, and known as, 4724 California will mark a milestone, officially applying to the city for its Master Use Permit.

That step was enabled by its preliminary approval from the Southwest Design Review Board at the Early Design Guidance meeting two months ago (WSB coverage here). And while its second, and potentially final, design review isn’t expected till fall, the project team has just put together a look at how its design is evolving as of this “waypoint.”

The update was shown to and discussed with a small group of community members late last week. After hearing in advance about the planned informal discussion, we requested, and received, permission to cover it. In addition to a look at the in-progress design, we also learned new details about the overall plan and timetable.

Read More

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Video: Blue Angels have arrived for Seafair 2012!
July 31, 2012 11:09 am
|      25 COMMENTS
 |   Blue Angels | West Seattle news

11:09 AM: Just touching down now at Boeing Field, after a flyby. More shortly.

11:28 AM: Our Blue Angels flyby video is up, shot from the parking lot north of the Boeing Field tower starting as soon as one of the handful of others watching from here shouted “OVER THERE!” They subsequently landed and taxied two by two to the Museum of Flight, where a ceremonial Seafair welcome awaited. Their official practicing doesn’t start until Thursday morning; we always recommend coming to the MoF at least once during Seafair weekend to watch the takeoff – optimal for the full practice show Friday afternoon, or the official performances Saturday and Sunday. The MoF itself offers special events Friday-Sunday (read about them here) and it’s not far from West Seattle – take the 1st Avenue South Bridge north to the Michigan exit, turn right on East Marginal, head south past Boeing Field to the museum. Our other favorite Seafair Blue Angels-viewing tip is to go to Lake Washington on Friday, when admission is free, to see both the airshow and the early hydroplane action.

2:15 PM P.S. – Some of the Seafair Navy fleet ships are coming in this afternoon too, prior to tomorrow’s official “Parade of Ships/Flight” starting in the 1 pm hour. We’ll have a separate story with photos a bit later.

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West Seattle Tuesday: Blue Angels’ arrival; 1 week till Night Out…
July 31, 2012 9:05 am
|      5 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news

The daily look ahead:

TONIGHT’S TRAFFIC ALERTS: From our list of this week’s planned closures, tonight’s alerts are the same as last night – 99/Alaskan Way Viaduct is closed southbound 9 pm-5 am between Battery Street Tunnel and West Seattle Bridge; the WS Bridge’s eastbound offramp to 1st Avenue S. is closed 10 pm tonight to 5 am tomorrow.

NO RESIDENTIAL TRASH/RECYCLING/YARD WASTE PICKUP EXPECTED TODAY: As noted here, that’s what both the city and Waste Management say as the strike enters its seventh day. As for tomorrow – the city says, go ahead and put your cans out and keep them out till the end of THURSDAY.

BLUE ANGELS ARRIVE: The first of the seven Navy jets to arrive for Seafair came in on Monday morning, and today, the other six are scheduled to land at the Museum of Flight around 11 am. Their practice flights are Thursday and Friday, with the official airshow on Saturday and Sunday; the I=90 closure times for Thursday-Sunday are part of our day-by-day traffic alert list for the week.

ONE WEEK TILL ‘NIGHT OUT’ – PICK UP MATERIALS FOR YOUR BLOCK PARTY! From the West Seattle Blockwatch Captains Network:

WSBWCN has scheduled another opportunity for people to pick up materials to hand out at their Night Out events. It’s from 11 AM until 1 PM (today) at the Southwest Precinct. We’ve gathered materials from Seattle Police Department, Seattle Neighborhood Group, Seattle Office of Emergency Management, King County, West Seattle Be Prepared and the West Seattle Blockwatch Captains’ Network. More details here.

If your block party isn’t registered for Night Out yet – go here.

LAFAYETTE PLAYGROUND MEETING: West Seattle’s most populous elementary school is moving into the next phase of its long-running playground improvement project, and invites the community to get involved in discussion about transformation of “an existing asphalt dominated playground into an ecological schoolyard.” 6:30 pm at West Seattle (Admiral) Library (2306 42nd SW); more details in the calendar listing.

More on the calendar!

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Update: Woman found dead in burned Fauntleroy apartment
July 31, 2012 2:29 am
|      26 COMMENTS
 |   Fauntleroy | West Seattle fires | West Seattle news

(UPDATED TUESDAY AFTERNOON with cause of fire)

2:29 AM: If you’ve been hearing the sirens, there’s a fire response at apartments in the 9100 block of 45th in Fauntleroy (map). More to come.

2:36 AM UPDATE: The fire is “tapped,” according to the scanner. It’s in the end unit of a garden-style apartment building.

2:55 AM UPDATE: Firefighters have been working to make sure the fire hadn’t spread beyond the apartment where it began. As for whether anyone was hurt, the incident commander is deferring comment until the public-information officer arrives.

3:47 AM UPDATE: SFD spokesperson Kyle Moore says a woman was found dead inside the apartment where the fire broke out – after the fire was knocked down, firefighters found the body of what Moore described as an elderly woman, about 10 to 12 feet inside. (added) Here’s his briefing, unedited:

They’re still trying to find out what started the fire; so far, Moore said, it appears to have started in the living room, which is where the victim was found. He said she was a longtime resident of the second-floor unit, to which the fire was contained. The fire was called in by neighbors, who, according to Moore, banged on the door to try to see if the woman was OK – but got no reply.

4:32 AM: One more note – the address of the building has been corrected from the original dispatch; it’s in the 9000 block of 45th SW, not the 9100 block. We’ll update this story later when there’s new information from investigators.

2:02 PM UPDATE: Investigators say the fire was started by “improperly discarded smoking materials.” Here’s the update on SFD’s Fire Line site. Cause of death and identification will have to come from the Medical Examiner, possibly later this afternoon.

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Marriage-equality film, forum planned @ St. John’s in West Seattle
July 30, 2012 10:12 pm
|      29 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle people | West Seattle religion

The trailer is for its PBS premiere this fall … but you can see the award-winning film “Love Free or Die” in West Seattle next week. St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church plans a screening, followed by a community forum on marriage equality, at 6:30 pm Thursday, August 9th. Read on for the invitation:Read More

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West Seattle Crime Watch: Alarm spooks burglar(s), and more
July 30, 2012 8:06 pm
|      10 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | West Seattle news

Three West Seattle Crime Watch notes this evening. First, a burglary today at Melissa‘s home:

At around 2 PM this afternoon our house at 36th AVE SW and Cloverdale was broken into. Our window at the side of our house was lifted and then shattered. The intruders had gloves on; when the officer dusted for prints there were only prints from gloves and the officer suspects there were at least two intruders based on his findings. Luckily for us as soon as they set off our motion detector off the alarm sounded and they left our house through our front door, leaving it wide open. The police did respond within 30 minutes. I am not sure what more we can do to protect our home short of getting a guard dog; we have an alarm, an alarm sign in the front of the house that is clearly visible and a smaller dog. Please be on the lookout for suspicious activity or those that don’t belong in our neighborhood and call the police if you do see or suspect something.

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West Seattle Brewing Company taking over ex-Tervo’s/Corner Store
July 30, 2012 4:38 pm
|      33 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | WS beverages

4415 Fauntleroy Way SW has been a corner store for a long time – first as Tervo’s Market (till about a year ago), then briefly as the Corner Store and Deli – but now the space is being overhauled for a new incarnation as a brewery. It’s the future home of West Seattle Brewing Company. We first got a mini-flurry of tips some weeks ago that the space was being converted into something related to beer, but every time we went by to try to investigate, the doors were closed – till today, when we found Kevin Fawcett. He’s a longtime home brewer (and writer for Northwest Brewing News) who’s awaiting licensing to start making his beer in the Triangle space. Fawcett tells us the space appealed to him because of its large cold case – perfect for storage. He’ll start off by making beer to supply to resellers, but eventually might have a brew pub. We’ll keep you updated on West Seattle Brewing Company’s progress!

EDITOR’S NOTE, ADDED TUESDAY MORNING: Updated Tuesday morning to add the missing “West” before Seattle in the name. Fawcett told us in a followup phone conversation that he’s well aware of that name’s history, and there will eventually be some kind of display in his brewery looking back at the name’s origins.

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Strike update: City says no home pickup expected Tuesday
July 30, 2012 2:20 pm
|      55 COMMENTS
 |   Utilities | Waste Management strike | West Seattle news

2:20 PM: Here’s the first update looking ahead to tomorrow (Tuesday), as the Waste Management recycle/yard-waste truck drivers’ strike – supported by WM garbage-truck drivers – continues. The city says it’s not expecting Tuesday pickup:

Due to the continuing strike by Teamsters Union drivers, garbage, recycling and food and yard waste will not be collected Tuesday for most Waste Management residential customers. CleanScapes customers will have their carts picked up as usual.

Waste Management Tuesday customers should put out their recycling, garbage and food and yard waste carts next Tuesday, Aug. 7. Customers will not be charged extra for any additional items placed at the curb.

Customers who were missed for collection today (Monday, July 30), should put their garbage, yard waste and recycling out before 7 a.m. next Monday, Aug. 6.

The strike is affecting about 60 percent of the city, in Northwest and South Seattle. Teamsters Local 117’s contract with Waste Management expired May 31 and union drivers went on strike last Wednesday, July 25. Teamsters 174 garbage and yard drivers have been honoring the Local 117 picket lines.

Collections by CleanScapes, which covers about 40 percent of the city are not impacted by the strike.

SPU continues to urge Waste Management and the Teamsters to engage in good faith negotiations toward a speedy and successful outcome.

Under its contract with the city, Waste Management is required to continue services in the event of any disruption. Specifically, any missed collections due to any labor complications must be collected later in the week, or the following week. Waste Management will not be paid for any non-service.

The contract allows the city to deduct approximately $15,000 to $20,000 per day in payments to Waste Management for any services that are not completed the next day. For any interruptions that continue more than a week, contractors can also be fined substantially for service failure, up to $1.25 million per day.

Protecting public health and safety continues to be the city’s top priority throughout this collection disruption.

SPU will provide updates as needed. Customers with solid waste service issues or concerns may call the Call Center at (206) 684-3000.

Customers with labor/union questions or concerns should contact Waste Management or Teamsters Local 117.

Any more updates today – from anyone involved – will be added here, and this will be linked from the BIG STORIES headline list on the sidebar. We’ve created an archive for all our coverage dating back to the start – newest to oldest – find it here.

TUESDAY MORNING NOTE: Waste Management’s online update also says residential customers won’t get pickup in Seattle today, though they say commercial customers might.

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Garden party at Denny International Middle School this week
July 30, 2012 1:19 pm
|    Comments Off on Garden party at Denny International Middle School this week
 |   Gardening | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

(World Water Week work party at the Denny garden last March)
Big event just announced for Denny International Middle School‘s garden this Wednesday. From Seattle Public Schools:

The Center for Green Schools at the U.S. Green Building Council, Washington Green Schools, Seattle Public Schools, Seattle Mariners, Seattle Seahawks and Seattle Storm will join community volunteers and students from Denny International Middle School and Chief Sealth International High School to spruce up the Joan Allen Memorial Garden at Denny school. During the Wednesday, Aug. 1 event, work crews will build raised planting beds from recovered cedar, plant fall crop seedlings, weed existing planting areas and improve the school’s garden storage shed.

The district says new Superintendent José Banda will be there, too.

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Admiral Safeway site sold for $30.7 million to new owner of Link, Mural
July 30, 2012 11:54 am
|      14 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

August 11th will mark a year since the opening of the new Admiral Safeway at 2622 California SW. But the anniversary will be marked under new ownership for the property.

County records confirm a sale first reported by the Daily Journal of Commerce: Safeway sold it last week for $30,710,000, to an LLC called SVF Admiral Safeway Seattle, an entity of Southern California-based American Realty Advisors. That firm, we noticed during research, is also the new owner of the Link (4550 38th SW, sold in March for $62 million) and Mural (4727 42nd SW, sold in March for $42 million) mixed-use buildings in West Seattle, both developed by Harbor Properties and sold after its merger (we reported the sale plans but not final word on the buyer).

As best we can tell from the online paperwork regarding the Admiral Safeway deal, it includes the store and the retail building on the northwest side of its parking lot; the deed mentions the tenancy rights of Safeway, Menchie’s, and Umpqua Bank (WSB sponsor), the three businesses currently in place (with additional space still vacant in that smaller building). We have inquiries out to both Safeway and American Realty Advisors for more information, and will add anything more that we learn.

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Arena proposal: City Councilmembers’ concerns; County Council approval
July 30, 2012 11:26 am
|      17 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle politics

FIRST REPORT, 11:26 AM: With the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce board taking a stand against the SODO location proposed for a new Seattle sports arena (as first reported here last week), it’s higher on the radar here – so here’s a new development: Less than 3 hours before the King County Council holds a public hearing on the possible county investment in the plan, the Seattle City Council has announced it’s “in discussions” with would-be arena investor Chris Hansen, and has gone public with a four-page letter to him, signed by 8 councilmembers (all except Bruce Harrell). You can see the letter here; the concerns it outlines include the ones on which the WSCoC and Port of Seattle have focused:

… In particular, transportation issues must be addressed and freight mobility impacts mitigated to protect the city’s vital maritime and industrial job sectors. …

The letter spends even more time on concerns about “ongoing financial exposure” to the city and a “balance of public and private benefits.” But it also makes a point that “it would be unfortunate if the project were to founder now …”

Meantime, in advance of the public hearing and expected County Council vote this afternoon, West Seattle’s County Councilmember Joe McDermott co-authored an essay explaining why he believes they have “done (their) due diligence”; read it here. (If and when there is a vote, we’ll add that update to this story.)

6:46 PM: The County Council’s vote was yes. Read about it on their site.

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Followup: Design work starting soon for Avalon/Genesee signal
July 30, 2012 9:46 am
|      7 COMMENTS
 |   Safety | Transportation | West Seattle news

While talking with SDOT about a different project last Friday, we asked about the timetable for the future Avalon Way/SW Genesee traffic signal, mentioned often in various discussions of local road safety. Our most recent mention was back in February, when its future installation was described as tentatively set for the third quarter of this year (which we’re a month into). SDOT’s Paul Elliott checked on its status and tells WSB today: “Design for the civil work will begin in the next month and construction will be later this fall, with completion by Thanksgiving.” (He confirms that, as was said in February, the project also will include new curb ramps for accessibility.)

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West Seattle (etc.) Monday: 1st Blue Angels arrival; arena hearing…
July 30, 2012 6:12 am
|      7 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

(Thanks to Brooke Kipling for the golden view of Sunday night’s sunset, from West Seattle’s west shore)
Happy Monday! Here are the highlights of our look ahead to what’s up today/tonight – including events not in West Seattle but of interest here:

WONDERING ABOUT TRASH/RECYCLING PICKUP? The Waste Management recycling/yard-waste drivers’ strike continues, supported by garbage-truck drivers; the company is bringing in what it calls “substitute drivers,” saying they will focus on commercial pickups today. Here’s the newest information.

TRAFFIC ALERTS FOR TODAY/TONIGHT: From our day-by-day traffic-alert list: Southbound 99/Alaskan Way Viaduct will be closed 9 pm-5 am; the 1st Avenue South exit from the eastbound West Seattle Bridge will close 10 pm-5 am. And during the day, in West Seattle, there is one alert: Concrete trucks are expected at the Barton Street Pump Station expansion project next to the Fauntleroy ferry dock noon-4:30 pm, and the county warns some traffic trouble might result. (They will have flaggers to assist.)

1ST BLUE ANGEL ARRIVES: Seafair‘s big week always begins with a sight in the sky – the first Blue Angels jet to arrive (the other six are due tomorrow) is expected this morning. We’re checking with Seafair on the time. You’ll likely see it zipping around on media/VIP ridealongs, too. (ADDED 8:43 AM: The first jet has arrived. It’ll be out on “key influencer” ridealongs from 11 am-3 pm. Tomorrow’s group arrival is scheduled around 11 am.)

TIDEWALKING TIME: The next round of low tides starts today, -2 feet just after 9 am.

COUNTY COUNCIL PUBLIC HEARING ON SODO ARENA: 1:30 pm today, the public has another chance to tell the King County Council what it thinks about the SODO arena plan, during a public hearing at the council’s meeting in the courthouse downtown (as explained here). 1:30 pm; details here.

FAMILY STORY TIME: Tonight at the High Point Library branch (35th/Raymond), 7 pm.

More on the calendar!

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Followup: 4 days after Alki departure, tribal canoes’ final stop
July 30, 2012 4:32 am
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   Seen at sea | West Seattle news

So many people crowded the Olympia shore on Sunday to see the arrival of nearly 100 tribal canoes, that video is as close as Anne from Ventana Construction (WSB sponsor) could get to see the local participants – her clip shows the Duwamish Raven Canoe arriving in Budd Inlet. The southernmost reach of Puget Sound was the destination for the Paddle to Squaxin, which included – as we reported last Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday – an Alki Beach stop along the way. The Olympian reported on Sunday’s arrivals, all greeted by the Squaxin Island Tribe, which is this year’s host for the tribes visiting from all over the Pacific Northwest, some of whom have been paddling for more than a month. The gathering there, the weeklong Potlatch Protocol, will officially begin at 10 am today – and a live stream is promised on this webpage.

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This week’s road closures: 99/Viaduct, Spokane St. Viaduct, I-90/Blue Angels
July 29, 2012 11:25 pm
|    Comments Off on This week’s road closures: 99/Viaduct, Spokane St. Viaduct, I-90/Blue Angels
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

Road-closure advisories for the week ahead have come in from a variety of sources – so we’ve melding them into one list of what to expect, day by day. This includes Alaskan Way Viaduct, Spokane Street Viaduct (the West Seattle Bridge between 99 and I-5), and, for this week, I-90 Bridge/Blue Angels closures (since the exit’s close enough to the east end of the WS Bridge to affect it):

SUNDAY NIGHT, JULY 29 (tonight)
*Alaskan Way Viaduct is closed northbound AND southbound from and to the West Seattle Bridge until 5 am. The NB closure ends at Royal Brougham; the SB closure begins at the Battery Street Tunnel

MONDAY, JULY 30
*Alaskan Way Viaduct: Closed southbound 9 pm-5 am between Battery Street Tunnel and West Seattle Bridge
*Spokane St. Viaduct: Eastbound offramp to 1st Avenue S. closed 10 pm tonight to 5 am tomorrow

TUESDAY, JULY 31
*Alaskan Way Viaduct: Closed southbound 9 pm-5 am between Battery Street Tunnel and West Seattle Bridge
*Spokane St. Viaduct: Eastbound offramp to 1st Avenue S. closed 10 pm tonight to 5 am tomorrow

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 1
*Alaskan Way Viaduct: Closed southbound 9 pm-5 am between Battery Street Tunnel and West Seattle Bridge
*Spokane St. Viaduct: Eastbound offramp to 1st Avenue S. closed 10 pm tonight to 5 am tomorrow

THURSDAY, AUGUST 2
*Alaskan Way Viaduct: Closed southbound 9 pm-5 am between Battery Street Tunnel and West Seattle Bridge
*Spokane St. Viaduct: Eastbound offramp to 1st Avenue S. closed 10 pm tonight to 5 am tomorrow
*I-90 Bridge closures for Blue Angels’ Seafair practices: 9:45 am-noon, 1:15 pm-2:30 pm

FRIDAY, AUGUST 3
*Spokane St. Viaduct: Eastbound lanes will be closed 10 pm tonight-5 am tomorrow; all eastbound traffic will have to exit at 1st Avenue South offramp (to get to I-5 or Columbian Way, you can then drive eastbound on surface Spokane St. and reconnect at 6th)
*I-90 Bridge closure for Blue Angels’ Seafair practice show: 12:45 pm-2:40 pm

SATURDAY, AUGUST 4
*I-90 Bridge closures for Blue Angels’ Seafair show: 12:45 pm-2:40 pm

SUNDAY, AUGUST 5
*Alaskan Way Viaduct: Closed southbound 9 pm-5 am between Battery Street Tunnel and West Seattle Bridge
*I-90 Bridge closures for Blue Angels’ Seafair show: 12:45 pm-2:40 pm

MONDAY, AUGUST 6
*Spokane St. Viaduct: Westbound lanes will be closed between I-5 and Highway 99, 10 pm-5 am, which means no access to West Seattle Bridge from I-5 or Beacon Hill

This will remain linked atop the BIG STORIES list on the WSB sidebar throughout the week, in case you’need to find it quickly!

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Update: Terrarium fire in Arbor Heights home, quickly extinguished
July 29, 2012 8:49 pm
|      21 COMMENTS
 |   Arbor Heights | West Seattle fires | West Seattle news

8:49 PM: Seattle Fire Department crews are arriving at a home near 39th and 102nd and reporting “light smoke” visible. We’re on the way and will have updates as more information is available. It does not appear to be a major fire, though – all but three crews have been canceled.

8:57 PM UPDATE: Our crew is there and says it was a small fire contained to a terrarium where a turtle lives. The residents are checking on the turtle.

10:52 PM UPDATE: In case you haven’t seen this in the comments already – a neighbor says the turtle is OK, though a bit shell-scorched.

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West Seattle High School’s Philip Nokeo wins national competition
July 29, 2012 6:57 pm
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle people | West Seattle schools

We have news of a local gold medalist – but it’s got nothing to do with the Olympics! West Seattle High School student Philip Nokeo is home from the Family, Career and Community Leaders of America national conference in Florida with the gold medal for Applied Technology. He earned the trip to nationals by winning that same medal in statewide competition. Philip and teacher Sarah Orton (with him in the photo) traveled with 20 students and staff from elsewhere in the city. Teacher says they were among 7,000 students at the conference, and of course there was time for side trips to Disney World and Universal Studios parks, as well as numerous conference events on which Philip will brief his fellow students in the WSHS chapter next school year. Congratulations!

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Update: Southbound I-5 lanes now open again after shooting, crash; bullet hits West Seattleite’s car
July 29, 2012 5:04 pm
|      24 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

(8:23 PM UPDATE: Police say West Seattleite driving on I-5 caught in crossfire)

(“Live” image of I-5 at Boeing Access Road – refresh page for newest view)
5:04 PM: An incident on southbound I-5 in the Boeing Field area has backed up traffic all the way to the West Seattle Bridge – with northbound slowdowns reported too – and since a stretch of northbound 99 is currently closed just north of here, that means bridge backups. According to KING 5, this is a crash that was preceded by “an exchange of gunfire between the occupants of two cars.” More to come.

5:36 PM: Update from WSDOT:

Seattle Police also have updates, via Twitter, saying that one person was shot, and is expected to survive. They say that one of the vehicles involved in the dispute hit one that was not, and that caused the rollover crash.

5:55 PM: WSDOT says all lanes are open again.

6:36 PM: SFD has an update on the people injured – two in the flipped car, one shooting victim in a different vehicle.

8:23 PM: The SPD Blotter version of all this has just been published, and it includes this new information: Police say a “stray bullet” hit a West Seattleite’s car. From their report:

Another innocent motorist who was driving southbound on I-5 got his windows shot out by a stray bullet fired by the suspects. That driver (who was the only one on board his vehicle) drove home to the West Seattle area and called 911. An officer responded and took a report on that incident and documented the property damage. The driver was not injured.

8:39 PM: Police also have added this clarification – the original incident was not an “exchange of gunfire” – only one car, which has not yet been found, had someone in it who was shooting; the car in which someone got shot, and which hit the vehicle that overturned, did NOT have anyone firing a gun, and was not even found to contain anyone with a gun. The SPD report now includes this:

There is no indication at this time that the shooting victim ever shot back at the suspects or suspect vehicle and no firearm was located on the shooting victim.

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West Seattle Crime Watch: Holdup attempt leads to arrest
July 29, 2012 4:31 pm
|      7 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | Delridge | West Seattle news

A man arrested in West Seattle early today is a suspect in two street robberies – one here, one in Capitol Hill – according to police, who are still seeking a second suspect. From the report published on SPD Blotter this afternoon by Det. Jeff Kappel:

At approximately 1:00 a.m. this morning the two female victims, 26 and 27 years of age, were walking in the area of Delridge and Genesee when they were confronted by two black male suspects. One asked for a cigarette which the victims didn’t have. Both victims continued walking. A couple seconds later they were approached from behind by one of the suspects. This time he was armed with a handgun and demanded their purses.

At the same time a witness was leaving his house to walk his dog and interrupted the robbery, causing the suspect to run off. The witness and the victims chased the suspect and observed him enter a waiting vehicle driven by a second suspect at 25th and Genesee.

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Waste Management strike: Company brings in ‘substitute drivers’
July 29, 2012 4:07 pm
|      60 COMMENTS
 |   Utilities | Waste Management strike | West Seattle news

(Substitute-driven WM truck photographed outside Delridge restaurant Saturday morning)
An update on the Waste Management walkout, just in from the company:

Teamsters Local 117 recycle and yard waste drivers remain on strike. Teamsters 174 garbage drivers continue to honor the picket lines.

Over the weekend, experienced WM substitute drivers made solid progress on critical stops in cities across the Puget Sound. Per our contingency plan, our second wave of experienced WM substitute drivers arrived on Saturday and Sunday. They will be deployed on Monday, July 30. Additional substitute drivers are on the way and we are beginning to hire replacement drivers identified during our job fair last month.

MONDAY COLLECTION SERVICE

Monday collection service will focus on commercial collection routes, including restaurants.
Renton will receive residential garbage collection service due to their unique every other week (EOW) collection frequency.

Please continue to check our WM website for daily collection information at www.wmnorthwest.com.

The city’s most recent update, from Friday, suggests Monday pickup customers put out their cans as usual.

The strike began at midday Wednesday; drivers had been working without a contract since late May, and took a strike-authorization vote in early June.

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