West Seattle, Washington
25 Thursday
Just got word from Seattle Public Schools about the rounds that new Superintendent José Banda plans for the first day of school on Wednesday; the district says he will start the day at West Seattle’s brand-new K-5 STEM at Boren, 9 am-10 am, before heading out to schools elsewhere in the city. (June photo by Ilona Berzups Photography)
Laurie shared these photos from Lincoln Park, explaining:
About 1:45 today, eleven police officers pulled up on motorcycles in front of Colman Pool. Apparently it was a training exercise in riding through park terrain.
First the officers answered questions and handed out stickers to awe-struck boys, and then they rode up the steep dirt trail that leads from the beach to the upper park. Once there, they rode around single file, learning to navigate the fields and woods.
Read about the SPD Motorcycle Unit here.
Tomorrow (Thursday) night, it’s the grand finale of the Summer Concerts at Hiawatha series, presented by the Admiral Neighborhood Association, with co-sponsors including WSB. Tonight’s reminder comes from ANA president Katy Walum:
I wanted to let your readers know that the Admiral Neighborhood Association will be having two face painters for the kids’ enjoyment at tomorrow night’s show. Free! Also, we’ll be giving out the rest of our popsicles – free! And the best free thing of all – the free concert – Curtains For You – brought to the community by the ANA and our fabulous sponsors. We’re a little sad that the last show of the summer is upon us, but so glad that we get to ring out the close of the season with such an amazing power-pop band (hint: they’ll be opening for the fall tour of the Head and the Heart)! Fingers crossed for clear-ish skies …
Above, a recent Curtains For You clip we found on YouTube. The concert’s free, on the east lawn of Hiawatha Community Center, 6:30 pm. See you there!
Thanks to Wendy Hughes-Jelen for that photo of part of a brand-new installation in High Point – the Bataan Park Outdoor Fitness Zone at High Point Drive SW and Bataan Place SW. We got first word from Denise Sharify with Neighborhood House:
Be Active Together (Neighborhood House) and Open Space Association at High Point announces the opening of the Bataan Park Outdoor Fitness Zone
First of a kind in West Seattle, if not Seattle, The Zone offers FREE outdoor exercise equipment to the community 24/7. They are fun to use and accessible for almost everyone.
There are 8 pieces of equipment that make up a medium-sized gym center outdoors in a beautiful setting. A person who works his or her way through the entire circuit will get a high-quality aerobic and strength workout for the whole body.
*Located next to a children’s playground, it promotes family fitness and intergenerational play
*Offers communities a great way to promote wellness and fight obesity.
Join us at the grand opening on Sept. 5th from 5:30 to 7:30 pm and work out with fitness expert Willie Austin. Live Jazz music and refreshments provided.
For more information or to receive training as a Fitness Zone ambassador, call Denise Sharify at 206.571.5070.
The new Fitness Zone was built with the help of a grant from KaBOOM! (previously known around here for the Delridge Playground) and Dr. Pepper/Snapple.
Remember Lauren Englund and her idea for an “observational/educational beehive” in High Point, where she lives? We featured her pitch here back in May – and she’s just e-mailed to say “We got the space!” Next Tuesday, everyone interested in the project is invited to a design meeting. Ahead, excerpts of the e-mail she sent to supporters, including the meeting time/date/place:Read More
Last night, as reported in our as-it-happened coverage of Mayor McGinn‘s West Seattle Town Hall, Admiral resident Diane Vincent told him the city should have planned better to make sure computerless citizens weren’t out in the cold during the Seattle Public Library closure week – she tried to use community-center computer labs, and found some of THEM closed too. The mayor promised action. Here’s the official announcement just sent by Seattle Parks:
During this week when Seattle Public Library branches are closed, these Seattle Parks and Recreation “Rec Tech” computer labs will be open for public use:
· International District/Chinatown Community Center, 719 8th Ave. S, Thursday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and today and Friday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
· Garfield Community Center, 2323 E Cherry St., hours vary because of daily programming; please call 206-684-4788 for public hours.
· Miller Community Center, 330 19th Ave. E, hours vary because of daily programming; please call 206-684-4753 for public hours.
· Yesler Community Center, 917 E Yesler Way, Friday from 2 to 4 p.m. Additional hours may be available for public use based on daily programming; for information, please call 206-386-1245.
· Southwest Teen Life Center, 2801 SW Thistle St., will open today and tomorrow (Thursday) from 5 to 8 p.m. and Friday from 4 to 7 p.m. but no technical support will be available.
Regular library operations resume on Tuesday, September 4. …
We’ll add a direct link shortly to Diane’s question (#19) in our video of the entire event. (added) You can hear her question (we didn’t turn the camera, though) and see the mayor’s response, starting here.
Recent comments and correspondence have led us to realize that some people still are not aware that coyotes are pretty much everywhere around the peninsula (here’s our map). So, when something like this note from Bill comes in, we need to share it:
My wife was walking our dog this morning in the Westwood area when she came across a coyote with a black cat in its mouth. This happened on 32nd Ave between Thistle and Cloverdale. Just want to give all of our neighbors near here a heads-up.
Everything you want to know about coyotes – including what to do when you see one – is here.
Big news from ArtsWest – a prestigious grant never before given to a theater in our state. Here’s the announcement:
ArtsWest Playhouse and Gallery is pleased to announce that the American Theatre Wing, best known as the creator of the Antoinette Perry “Tony” Awards, is awarding the Company with one of the 2012 National Theatre Company grants.
The award includes a $10,000 grant given to only 10 theaters in the country. ArtsWest is the first theater in Washington State to win this award.
This grant will have a significant impact on ArtsWest, providing resources needed to realize our full artistic vision and assisting in our ability to provide even broader access to the arts. The grant is given to emerging regional theaters that have articulated a distinctive mission, cultivated an audience, and nurtured a community of artists in ways that strengthen and demonstrate the quality, diversity, and dynamism of American theatre. More information about the National Theatre Company grants can be found at http://americantheatrewing.org/grants.
Anne at Ventana Construction (WSB sponsor) tipped us to a work crew at 4755 Fauntleroy Way, past Huling Chevrolet and future proposed mixed-use development site (first covered here a month ago). In case you wondered too: We checked with John Wunder of Associates West, rep for the property owners, and he said it’s just “environmental testing” – the site’s prospective future owners doing “due diligence.” No additional information yet about this proposed development, but we’re continuing to follow up. It’s one of the sites on the map we debuted last week, showing active under- and future-construction sites in West Seattle:
Nothing added to the map since its debut six days ago, but we’re monitoring these and other sites and will continue to update.
Story and photos by Katie Meyer
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
Pica Border Grill is open for business in The Junction at 4151 California SW (the former location of Jonny Bostons), offering “burgers, tacos, and more.”
We reported last month that new owner Miguel Govela planned to expand the menu and change the name and look of the establishment; he chatted with WSB Wednesday during the “soft launch” of the new menu. The restaurant has new art, too.
First, the food – Pica Border Grill now offers food from “both sides of the border,” retaining the menu of burgers and cheesesteak subs and adding a menu of Mexican fare that includes chicken, beef, pork and fish tacos, quesadillas, salads and a torta sandwich named the Tampiqueña: Beef or shredded pork on a bolillo (French roll) with mayonnaise, pepper jack cheese, lettuce, carmelized onions, homemade chorizo, avocado, Mexican cheese, green salsa, tomato, and cilantro. (This signature torta is named for Govela’s home city of Tampico, in Tamaulipas, Mexico.) There are vegetarian options for several of the dishes — and their variety of salsas and salad dressings are prepared fresh each day.
(Proud proprietor of Pica Border Grill, Miguel Govela)
Next, the art – after painting the building with a southwestern color palette, Govela was pleased to have West Seattle artist Joseph Brooks (seen in the West Seattle Art Walk, featured at Twilight Artist Collective) spraypaint the mural that glows on the south side of the building:
Minor fine-tuning to the menu may occur going forward, but Govela looks forward to providing his “both sides of the border” menu to West Seattle.
Big roundup today for West Seattle Crime Watch and other police activity – with three notes related to bike theft (actual or suspected).
First one starts with an incident that several people asked about this morning on the WSB Facebook page – early-morning yelling in Morgan Junction, and eventually an ambulance. Nothing on the 911 log, so we checked with Det. Mark Jamieson of Seattle Police. He says one man thought he saw another steal a bicycle around 2 am – the second man was reported to be on one bicycle and pushing another, after having allegedly gone into the first man’s neighbor’s yard. The first man, police say, followed/chased the second man, who dropped the extra bike, and then, when the first man caught up with him near California/Graham, dropped the one he was riding. The first man “detained” him and the second one started yelling something like “Don’t hurt me.” That’s when multiple people called 911 – a passing ambulance even stopped, thinking they had witnessed an assault. Police could not prove that the bicycle was stolen, says Det. Jamieson, so there was no arrest, and nobody required hospitalization, so the final categorization of the call was simply “suspicious circumstances.” P.S. The bicycle was placed into evidence.
Whether related or not, we’ve heard more stories of bicycle thefts in Crime Watch reader reports lately. One is after the jump – along with the saga of a Crime Watch case closed when a bicycle-theft victim DID get her bikes back – via someone who saw the story here – and a few other WSCW notes:
For today’s daily preview, just a quick note pointing you to the updated-for-months-to-come WSB West Seattle Events Calendar. The highlights are several Back-To-School events for individual local schools, including WSB sponsors West Seattle Montessori and Holy Family Parish School, plus a Community Health Fair this evening in High Point. For any WSB calendar event (today or beyond) you would like to know more about, click the “plus” on the right side of the listing line to expand the preview, then click “read more” on the lower right, and you will be taken to a standalone page with info, map, and more.
By this time Friday morning, as SDOT announced last week, the westbound Spokane Street Viaduct‘s new 1st Avenue South on-/offramp will be open. Since it is a two-way ramp, you’ll drive southbound to get onto it, rather than westbound. And that led commenter “TK” to ask:
What is the recommended route for westbound traffic coming from the Georgetown/4th Ave S (Costco)/Spokane St. area going back to West Seattle via the 1st Ave onramp?
Once Spokane St is reopened, how do we access the onramp? Turn north on 1st Ave & pull a U-turn? (will SDOT put up signs allowing this like some places in Bellevue?) Or continue on 4th north to the old potholed non-arterial Holgate just to get south again?
There doesn’t seem to be any reasonable solution that comes to mind, and there is a lot of traffic which will have to deal with this daily.
As promised in the comment exchange, we took the question to SDOT. Ahead, the answer from project spokesperson Paul Elliott:Read More
Thanks to Eric from Crossfit West Seattle for the rainbow view over Lafayette Elementary and its playground. We have more news stories in queue for you on Wednesday but nothing mega-urgent – for now! – so we’re going to close out the night with this. Might even be showers overnight, says the forecast.
7:54 PM: Just got a note about more than a dozen emergency vehicles on SW Roxbury. We believe this is related to the King County Sheriff’s Office reporting a possible shooting in the 9600 block of 11th SW. More when we get there.
8 PM UPDATE: KCSO Sgt. Cindi West updates that this apparently is an accidental shooting. She tells our crew that a man appears to have been walking with a gun in his pocket, and when he reached into his pocket, the gun went off. He shot himself in the leg; he’s been taken to the hospital. Traffic is still moving on Roxbury, and the scene will be wrapping up.
After a community resource fair and youth performance, the mayor has just taken the microphone. We’ll be updating live.
6:41 PM: “We’re starting to see things turn around in the city, economically,” he begins, adding that he believes the city has recovered “more than half” the 35,000 jobs believed to have been lost in recent years. Current Seattle unemployment is estimated at 6.5 percent, he says, while noting that’s “still historically high.” He recalls a time when the “biggest challenge” was to manage growth – and then things went downhill. He says he’s “worked hard to have a city government responsive to people and their needs.” (If that sounds a little like campaigning … we should note, his first term ends next year, though we don’t believe he’s announced whether he plans to run for a second one.) He runs through some of the budget-cutting measures he says have been taken by the city in the past few years, including a quick allusion to community-center cuts – which have affected the facility in which this event is being held; it was a full-fledged community center, and now it is a teen center, also co-housing a Neighborhood Service Center. “We have to focus on good, sustainable economic growth that everybody can share,” he summarizes – “… and focus on our strengths.”
REST OF THE AS-IT-HAPPENED COVERAGE, PLUS VIDEO OF THE ENTIRE EVENT, AFTER THE JUMP:Read More
With most schools starting next week, a quick message from Tiffani at Hiawatha:
We have had a few spots for Hiawatha Community Center Before/After School program open up. This is for children attending Lafayette only. The Schmitz Park Program is still full. Call the center at 206-684-7441 or e-mail at Tiffani.Melake@seattle.gov, Hiawatha.Childcare@seattle.gov
Announced by the county this afternoon:
The King County Water Taxi’s West Seattle route will be running its extended sailing schedules for this Thursday’s Seahawks game on August 30 and for Saturday’s Huskies game on September 1. In addition to the final scheduled departure at downtown Seattle’s Pier 50 at 10:30 pm, we will run one additional departure from Pier 50 at 11:00 pm each night. The final two departures from Seacrest Park those nights will be at 10:45 pm and 11:10 pm.
(TOPLINE: 20+ indicted in federal oxycodone drug-ring investigation, including 1 arrested in West Seattle)
(Photos by Nick Adams for WSB)
FIRST REPORT, 12:58 PM: We’re at FBI headquarters in the heart of downtown, where agencies and departments including the FBI, U.S. Attorney’s Office, and Seattle Police are about to brief the media on the raids/searches this morning at locations including the one on which we reported (5400 block of 30th SW). We’ve just been handing documents that say more than 20 people were arrested in connection with a “significant narcotics trafficking ring” involving “distributing thousands of oxycodone pills in the Seattle area.” More to come.
1:03 PM UPDATE: The briefing has begun. 24 arrests executed this morning by 100 law enforcement officers, we’re being told. Operation was code-named “Pee-Wee’s Playhouse“; the alleged ringleader’s name is Herman. Speaking first with details: US Attorney Jenny Durkan:
She calls this “a tremendous investigation over a period of years. We are focused heavily on ending prescription drug abuse … As you know, it’s a growing epidemic in America … Last year, it was estimated the deaths … exceeded the deaths for motor vehicles.” She says there’s a direct “nexus” between drug dealing and violent crime, and lauds the joint efforts of SPD and FBI.
SPD’s Deputy Chief Nick Metz (above) is speaking now (1:06 pm) – he says “it’s no secret that in past six-plus months, we’ve seen an uptick in violence …”and he believes this will affect that. Now FBI special agent in charge Dean says that 16 locations were searched in our state and California in relation to this case. 19 people were indicted, he says. He says that agents came here from other states including Utah and Oregon to help, as well as other partners around the region. The investigation dates back to February 2010, he says. He says one particular gang was the focus of the investigation, and stresses again the partnership between law-enforcement agencies. “We’re going to continue our efforts to disrupt violent crime.”
1:10 PM: The operation is being called “unprecedented” in its scope and scale. “I think today’s efforts have made the region a little safer.” After just a few minutes, the news conference is being opened to questions. First question involves investigative techniques, on which they don’t want to specialize; electronic surveillance is mentioned.
Second question – “We took the head dog out,” says FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge Steven Dean (above), responding to the role of Herman Roche, the first person whose indictment has been publicized. Roche is 43 years old and described in documents as a Kent resident. He says the investigation “disrupted” the organization and put most of its members in custody. “We think it’s going to make a dent.” Durkan says, “These operations rely on everything from (street cop undercover buys) to sophisticated surveillance … What the bad guys need to know out there is that state and federal authorities are going to cooperate .. We have a wide array of tools; we will use them all to stop crime in this community.” She says they wanted to make sure they “had the entire organization” so that when “we took it down, we knew what we were doing.” She talks about the organization members’ trips to California to get thousands of pills at a time. She says they seized 20 firearms, $40,000, and more that they are still inventorizing. “The next step is that all of these people have to make their appearance in federal court.”
1:15 PM: The news conference is wrapping up. Some of the suspects will be on the 2:30 pm court calendar. And the FBI spokesperson will tell us afterward about specific locations and how they figured into it.
1:29 PM UPDATE: 33 year old Brian M. Davis is identified as the person arrested at the home on 5400 block of 30th SW this morning. He is charged with conspiracy to distribute narcotics, authorities say. He was the only person arrested in West Seattle, according to the FBI, and the 30th SW house is the only WS location involved. What exactly was seized there – and what role that location played – won’t be known, says the FBI, until the search warrant returns are made public, probably in a week or so. The closest arrest to West Seattle, besides Davis, was that of 45-year-old Thomas D. Lee, arrested in the 6100 block of 4th Avenue S (a WSB Facebook commenter mentioned that location). They will be among those making a court appearance in about an hour. Seattle Police also confirm that Davis was the victim in a shooting elsewhere in the city a month ago.
2:44 PM UPDATE: Back at HQ now and will add video of the briefing plus a few more photos – unlike some briefings of similar magnitude, there was no “show and tell” component of seized items, in case you wondered. (added – here’s our video – starting with an overview by FBI Special Agent in Charge Laura Laughlin)
Also, if you’d like to read the full news release, which lists everyone charged, as well as all the participating agencies, it’s after the jump:
Thanks to Kathy for sharing the photo of the work that’s under way today at Seacrest Pier and Boathouse. In case you missed it, here’s what it’s all about; the Parks Department warned last week that the Seacrest lot would be closed till mid-afternoon today (2:30 or so) because the crane was needed to replace the pier ladder.
(Duwamish Head/”Anchor Park” photo by Long Bach Nguyen; click image for larger view)
Mayor Mike McGinn is back in West Seattle for another Town Hall meeting tonight, and that’s one of the highlights from the WSB West Seattle Events Calendar …
TONIGHT’S TRAFFIC ALERT: From our day-by-day/night-by-night list, southbound 99/Alaskan Way Viaduct is closed 9 pm-5 am, and 1st Avenue South northbound at (surface) S. Spokane St. will be closed 10 pm-5 am.
SEACREST PARKING LOT CLOSURE: As reported here last week, the lot at Seacrest is scheduled to be off-limits to parking until mid-afternoon while some dock work is under way.
NOT ENROLLED YET? Not in West Seattle, but all families who still need to enroll in Seattle Public Schools are invited to a fair – complete with giveaways – at district HQ in SODO, starting at 11 this morning – details here.
MAYOR’S TOWN HALL, PLUS COMMUNITY INFO FAIR: It’s not just a chance to tell the mayor what’s on your mind – it’s a chance to find out about local organizations (including ours), starting with a community info fair at 5:30 pm, then a Polynesian-dance performance at 6:30, and the mayor at the mike at 6:40 pm, all happening at Southwest Teen Life Center (2801 SW Thistle). More info in our Monday night preview.
WSHS FRESHMEN FAMILY NIGHT: Families with incoming West Seattle High School ninth graders are invited for orientation, school tours, and snacks, 5:30-7:30 pm tonight.
DELRIDGE PRODUCE COOPERATIVE FOOD TRIVIA! at Skylark Café and Club, 6:30 pm:
Fun food trivia, $5 suggested donation, benefits DPC. Details on this Facebook event page.
TRIVIA THAT ROCKS: Tuesday night is Trivia That Rocks night every week at Feedback Lounge (WSB sponsor), 8 pm.
Even more on the calendar!
FIRST REPORT, 8:08 AM: Thanks to everyone who texted and e-mailed to report federal agents searching a hillside home between High Point and Camp Long early this morning. At the scene, we saw FBI agents with unmarked vehicles, and a vehicle marked as belonging to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. They wouldn’t comment, referring us to local FBI headquarters; we just talked with Ayn Sandalo Dietrich in FBI public affairs, and she could only tell us that it’s part of an operation at “multiple locations,” but they’ll have more to say later. We also checked with Seattle Police, where Det. Mark Jamieson said the same thing.
10:35 AM UPDATE: The FBI has announced a multi-agency media briefing at 1 pm today – we’ll be there. They’re describing what happened this morning as a “Seattle Safe Streets Task Force operation.” The task force is described on this page as working “to identify, disrupt, and dismantle existing and emerging violent criminal enterprises and gangs in King County, as well as other individuals and groups whose criminal activity negatively impacts the Puget Sound area.”
NOTE: Our story on the briefing – and what we’ve found out about the suspect arrested in West Seattle – is here.
The 300-plus ninth graders entering Chief Sealth International High School will have the campus all to themselves for the first half of the first day of school a week from tomorrow – well, except for their 70 or so mentors. Those students are who you see in our photos – all juniors or seniors, who will be back on campus today for their second day of training for the mentoring program known as Link Crew, which Sealth is using this year for the first time.
Last year, we covered Link Crew’s West Seattle High School debut; this year, it’s debuting at Sealth with the help of a grant the school obtained. That included covering the costs of training for the faculty who are in turn training the Link Crew mentors, who activities coordinator Sam Reed explains were chosen from about 120 applicants. This week, they’re spending two days practicing the sort of team-building exercises they’ll go through next week with the incoming Class of 2016:
As Reed put it, these students have been leading by example – and now, they will be leading by coaching. 
We talked with the Sealth senior who is serving as the group’s president, Frank Wenn (right). He told WSB that he applied to “help out” and to be “more involved” with what’s going on at school (not that he was exactly disengaged previously, as a football player [right tackle], baseball-team member, and International Baccalaureate program student). What message will he have for the freshmen next week? we asked. Frank said he’ll tell them not to panic about suddenly being in high school: “You’re not going to feel isolated. Everyone here is so friendly – it’s easy to make friends.” Frank and his dozens of fellow Link Crew mentors are working with five faculty members – along with Reed, they are Dean of Students Charlene Grisim, social worker Carrie Syvertsen, and teachers Kim Dinh and Luke Azinger. And even after that all-important first day of school on September 5th, the mentors will be touchstones for the freshmen throughout the year; maybe, a few years later, some of them will even sign up to be Link Crew leaders themselves.
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