West Seattle, Washington
06 Saturday
(Photos by Christopher Boffoli for WSB)
5:33 PM: Now there’s a new incident – someone reported to have fallen or jumped off the south side of the lower West Seattle Bridge. Needless to say, the entire area below the bridges is a mess, with emergency equipment everywhere.
5:35 PM UPDATE: The person is reported to be in the water, hanging onto a piling. They’re sending divers into the water to help.
5:57 PM: Fire/rescue crews are on both sides of the surface beneath the bridge, but they aren’t seeing the person right now, and are still saying he (that’s the pronoun they are using) is believed to have jumped off the lower bridge’s south side.
6:11 PM: Per the scanner, a bicycle helmet and vest were found, not in the water, possibly linked to the person they’re looking for.
The low bridge is still closed both ways because of this.
6:33 PM UPDATE: From the scanner, police and fire have agreed the low bridge can be reopened. But the search continues.
A Coast Guard vessel is reported to be joining the search.
7:18 PM UPDATE: As pointed out in comments and by SFD via Twitter, this is now considered to be a “recovery” effort, with Seattle Police taking the lead (its divers have been searching along with SFD divers).
That means they don’t have much hope they’ll find the person alive.
7:24 PM UPDATE: WSB’s Christopher Boffoli at the search scene says the effort is winding up – nothing’s been found in the water.
MONDAY MORNING, 9 AM: We checked with Seattle Police spokesperson Det. Mark Jamieson this morning. He says that police found a wallet and cell phone at the spot on the bridge where the person was reported to have gone into the river, but he doesn’t know yet what followup has been done to see if the person to whom they belong is missing.
(Photo shared by John Douglas via Facebook)
5:05 PM: Fire and police crews have rushed to a rollover crash that’s on the north end of Delridge near Fire Station 36. At least one person is reported to be trapped in the wreckage. More as we get it.
5:13 PM: Traffic trouble if you’re getting off bridge at Delridge, per a bus rider in comments. Also, per the scanner, the person has just been rescued from the wreckage.
5:26 PM: TV helicopter over the scene. The person who was trapped in the car has been extricated. She is described as the driver, about 28 years old, going to Harborview Medical Center. A 30-year-old man got out of the car on his own and is not described as being seriously hurt but he’s going to the hospital in a private ambulance to be checked out. The TV chopper over the area is here because of the crash.
3:25 PM ORIGINAL REPORT: Three break-ins to report in West Seattle Crime Watch – first, one announced in a news release just received from The Nature Consortium:
Late Thursday night, thieves broke into the boiler room at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center and attempted to steal data servers belonging to Nature Consortium and Southwest Interagency Academy. Nature Consortium employees discovered the break-in when servers were not operational on Friday morning.
This is the fifth break-in at the Youngstown building this year, and tenants have urged the need for increased security. The historic school building is owned by the Delridge Neighborhoods Development Association, which has significantly reduced staff support for the building in recent years due to budget problems.
The thieves entered the boiler room though a manhole in the sewer, removed several data servers from the room and abandoned them nearby. Two of the units were discovered the next morning in the Delridge Park across the street. Both Nature Consortium and the Interagency Academy were able to recover their servers and no data was lost.
“We’re really fortunate that we were able to recover everything,” says Development Coordinator Lindsay von Marbod, who discovered the break-in Friday morning. “We could have lost all of our files, not to mention the dollar value of those servers. We’re really lucky.”
Two other reader reports about burglaries, ahead (PLUS, ADDED 4 PM, 2 OTHER NEW CRIME WATCH REPORTS):Read More
West Seattle’s first wind advisory of fall takes effect at 5 pm tonight, according to the National Weather Service, and will remain in effect till 5 tomorrow morning. We could get gusts up to 45 mph tonight, according to the alert. Separate from the alert, the forecast says we might see thunderstorms, too.
Two more high-profile visitors will be in West Seattle tomorrow, we have just confirmed. Mayor McGinn and Superintendent José Banda will be at Roxhill Elementary tomorrow morning for the 2012-2013 launch of “Be Here, Get There,” the incentives/education campaign to boost attendance in Seattle Public Schools. When we interviewed Roxhill principal Sahnica Washington recently, she talked about attendance as a challenge, even in elementary grades. It’s a citywide priority, and it’ll be discussed at tomorrow’s event by not only McGinn and Banda but also community organizations like the YMCA (WSB sponsor).
(2011 SFD photo)
We often feature the Seattle Public Library‘s story times on the WSB West Seattle Events Calendar – and once in a while, they feature special guests. Tomorrow “Firefighter Story Time” is scheduled at the High Point Library branch – and we’ve just learned that Fire Chief Gregory Dean will be the special guest, promoting fire safety and literacy. An SFD announcement says the chief “will read ‘No Dragons for Tea‘ to dozens of preschool children … Important safety messages include ‘Firefighters are your friend,’ ‘Crawl low under smoke’ and ‘Get out and stay out’.” You’re welcome to bring your preschooler – 1:30 pm tomorrow (Tuesday, October 16th). The library is at 35th/Raymond.
Welcome to a new week! Half a dozen Monday highlights, from the WSB West Seattle Events Calendar:
WEST SEATTLE COOKING CLUB: Fennel and carrot – those are the ingredients for the WSCC’s meeting this afternoon, 3 pm, Beveridge Place Pub. Details here.
MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL: Now that the Feedback Lounge (WSB sponsor; 6451 California SW) has a big screen, they’re showing the weekly big game too. 5 pm tonight.
COPPER COIN OPENS: As reported here last week, the new restaurant in The Admiral District (2329 California SW) plans its “soft open” at 5 pm tonight. Besides food, they’ll be big on beer – here’s the West Seattle-published Washington Beer Blog preview on that. P.S. Their menu is here.
DELRIDGE PRODUCE COOPERATIVE: The announcement we received over the weekend:
Calling all West Seattleites and White Centerists! Neighborhood organizers, Chatty Cathies, pretty brochure makers, graphic designers, t-shirt printers, healthy eaters, gardeners, grocery workers, co-op believers, good people and the persnickety detail-oriented! Join us for our monthly public meeting, (tonight) at 6:30 pm at the Delridge Library. We need our community’s support to make this co-op happen!
Agenda items:
– pumpkin walk at the West Seattle Harvest Festival – Can you help?
– community representation at neighborhood meetings
– timing update – DESC site
– board development and bylaws
– market survey
– business plan
– co-op conference report-back
– next steps!
TALK TRANSIT/TRANSPORTATION @ SUSTAINABLE WEST SEATTLE COMMUNITY FORUM: We’ve been talking about it for a week and a half – and tonight’s the night. Metro, SDOT, at least one elected official, all joining SWS to talk about transportation/transit issues – not just bus changes but also what’s up with local roads/bridges. Bring your questions. 7 pm, Senior Center of West Seattle (WSB sponsor; California/Oregon, enter from the Oregon side).
FLAT EARTH SOCIETY AT WEST 5: Guest DJs on Mondays at West 5 in The Junction – tonight at 9 pm, it’s Rosemary Otero.
More highlights for tonight, and days/weeks/months ahead, on our calendar!
(Live view from the only WS Bridge camera currently in operation; see other cameras on the WSB Traffic page)
6:09 AM OVERVIEW: We’re continuing our new series of weekday reports providing a dedicated place each day to talk about traffic and transit – from road/bridge/highway/bus/bike-path (etc.) happenings, to big-picture issues, including what you’re seeing while riding Metro in the third week of RapidRide C Line and other changes (if you’re catching up, here are our Friday reports and yours). We’ll post updates as needed throughout the day; if you have something to report, you can comment here OR contact us any way that works for you. Speaking of issues – TONIGHT’s the night for the Sustainable West Seattle forum on transportation, with Metro, SDOT, city government leaders among others – 7 pm at the Senior Center of West Seattle in The Junction.
WEATHER OUTLOOK: The rain is taking a break as the morning commute begins. Breezy and wet is the outlook for afternoon.
5:01 PM UPDATE: Crash reported, with heavy-rescue response, on the westbound West Seattle Bridge, at or near the Delridge offramp. Separate story to come.
5:07 PM UPDATE: The crash is on Delridge itself, at the north end, by Station 36, according to scanner traffic, NOT on the bridge.
The Fauntleroy Fall Festival is always an indoor-outdoor celebration – but the overdue arrival of fall rain put a little more emphasis on the indoor for Sunday’s 10th-anniversary edition. We reported on the festival as it began (WSB coverage here) – and then WSB contributing photojournalist Nick Adams roamed to capture more of the memory-making scenes, such as, above, Marcus Wiatr, left, setting up his umbrella on the meditation labyrinth inside The Hall at Fauntleroy – and back outside, Audrey Maffeo, 3, seeking creative inspiration before painting a pumpkin:
Back inside, the annual Cake Walk delighted participants: Carolyn Tucker drew another number for a lucky winner:
School-fundraiser dinner/auction season is beginning, and one of the first on the schedule is Chief Sealth International High School‘s “Passport to Excellence” event on November 9th at The Hall at Fauntleroy. Not only are they selling tickets and taking donations, they’re also looking for business sponsors:
Sponsorship levels start at $50; having our event expenses underwritten by sponsors helps us direct the proceeds from the auction to the many programs and activities that Chief Sealth PTSA, Chief Sealth Athletics, and Denny-Sealth Performing Arts support throughout the year. We are expecting more than 200 attendees and will provide visibility to our sponsors at the event and via our website and messages out to our 1300 families! Of course we’d love community members to come join us at the event and/or donate items and services, too. Ticket sales and item donations can be handled online as well.
Detailed information can be found at chiefsealthptsa.org/auction.html
(Photos by Nick Adams for WSB)
Another spirited game closed out the high-school-football weekend in West Seattle – Seattle Lutheran High School was ahead much of the way but ended up losing to Orcas Island in their Saturday afternoon game at WS Stadium, 27-19. More photos and toplines ahead:
Neither the Spokane Street Viaduct nor Highway 99/Alaskan Way Viaduct is scheduled for any sort of closure in the next week. (We’ll be checking with WSDOT to see if this means they’re done with the work that had been causing the frequent overnight southbound 99 closures, or if this is just a break.) No date yet for the reopening of westbound surface Spokane St. under the SSV, but it’s expected to be soon. And here’s one other surface-street closure, in the Pioneer Square/stadium zone, you might want to know about:
Monday, Oct. 15 – the morning of Friday, Oct. 19 – First Avenue South will be closed between South King Street and Railroad Way South [map] from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. nightly. Note: on Wednesday, Oct. 17 the closure start time will be delayed until two hours after the Sounders game at CenturyLink Field.
Yet another reminder if you see this before Monday night – ALL transportation/traffic/transit topics are on the table for the Sustainable West Seattle Community Forum that night (October 15th), 7 pm, Senior Center of West Seattle (California/Oregon; WSB sponsor).
Last time we published a roundup of recent coyote sightings, we included a reader photo from 36th and Hinds. After that, Marvin Music sent photos of what he thinks might be the same one – above – often seen, he says, near his home in the 33rd/Hinds area, though seldom in daylight. And now, it’s time another roundup – starting with two sightings came in barely an hour apart this afternoon. First, from Katy:
Approaching the intersection of 41st and Dawson just a few minutes (4:10 pm sunday) ago I startled a coyote, who turned north on Dawson and trotted along the sidewalk nearly the full length of the block. I glanced away to grab my camera and he/she turned up into one of the yards for cover. My husband swears he saw a coyote with two older pups in the neighbor’s yard about a month ago… These sightings are happening in the middle of the day. We have some folks in the neighborhood that choose to leave feed out for feral cats…I’ve seen raccoons also feeding on those porches. Perhaps these things in turn attract the coyotes… who knows…. I am assuming they will avoid people, but again, who knows. Slightly unnerving.
From Trina:
Just wanted to let you know I saw a coyote in our neighborhood. It was on 26th Ave SW between 100th st and 99th st. Let people know to keep their pets inside!
Ahead, four other sightings from the past week:
Read More
Sheryl shared the photo, along with this report:
Girl Scout Troop 40766 donated a check for $100 to Tent City [“Nickelsville”]. The money was raised last year through cookie sales. Because there is no electricity or running water at Tent City, the girls decided to contribute money toward their expenses. Nickelsville residents pay over $1600 a month just for portable toilets and sanitation.
The girls encourage anyone to also help contribute. Checks can be made out to Nickelsville and mailed to 3229 Harbor Ave SW Seattle, WA 98126. The girls will personally deliver your checks. All donations are tax deductible.
Thank you for caring about our neighbors in need.
EARLY MORNING SHOOTING TODAY: SPD Blotter has details this afternoon on a call early this morning that closed fairly quickly (which is why we didn’t have it at the time) but, police now report, did send a man to the hospital with a bullet wound to his leg:
On October 14th at approximately 2:46 a.m. officers responded to a shooting in an apartment complex in the 3200 block of SW Avalon Way.
Preliminary investigation indicates that the suspect and victim are acquaintances. Both adult males were intoxicated and involved in some sort of dispute with a third male at the entrance to the apartment building. The third male punched the victim and the victim’s friend (the suspect) went inside to his apartment. When the victim went to the suspect’s apartment to confront him, the suspect retrieved a pistol from the bedroom and shot the victim in the leg. The victim retreated outside the apartment calling for help and an unrelated witness called 911.
Officers knocked on the suspect’s door and announced their presence. The suspect surrendered without incident. Officers recovered the handgun used in the shooting, along with one spent shell casing and bullet fragments lodged in the carpet.The 26-year-old male suspect was booked into the King County Jail for Investigation of Assault. The 25-year-old male victim was transported to Harborview Medical Center for treatment of a non-life-threatening bullet wound to the lower leg.
UPDATE ON LAST WEEKEND’S SHOOTING: No charges filed yet in connection with the October 6th shooting outside a home in Westwood (WSB coverage here). Bail for the suspect was set at $100,000 last Monday (as reported here); he posted bond and got out of jail on Tuesday, and as of our last check, the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office said the case had not yet been referred to them. (P.S. Another reminder – a top-level staffer from the KCPAO is the guest at Tuesday’s West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting, 7 pm at the SW Precinct – bring questions!)
Indoor and outdoor fun that the rain can’t stop – that’s what you’ll find till 6 pm at the Fauntleroy Fall Festival. Above – birdhouse-building (they need somewhere to get out of the rain too!) – next, two of the many incredibly decorated cakes up for grabs during the Cake Walk:
The coveted chef’s hats are up for grabs for the winners:
Back outdoors – the pumpkins waiting to be painted, just before the festival began (we’ll get an “after” shot later):
Indoors – people to meet! Like West Seattle Hi-Yu Festival Junior Court princesses Winter and Olivia:
Fauntleroy community advocates and festival volunteers are everywhere – here are Vicki Schmitz-Block and Martha Callard with the Fauntleroy Community Association banner:
And yes, the ponies are here (behind the schoolhouse, to the west, next to the parking lot)
Lots more photos later. Performances to enjoy and a lot more – here’s the schedule (but check on site if you’re looking for something specific, in case the weather forced a location move). 9100 block of Fauntleroy, in and around the church, YMCA, and old schoolhouse (which now includes a multitude of community facilities and businesses – worth the visit all by itself).
Cider time! Join North Delridge neighbors under a tent at the Delridge P-Patch (accessible from either Delridge or 25th, 5000 block) till 4 pm. When we dropped by, Cooper was one of the young helpers. BYO apples – washed – and give the cider press (on loan from the West Seattle Tool Library) a try! More info here.
Go beyond the daily discussion – which we’ll resume tomorrow with the new daily traffic/transit update – at two events this week:
SUSTAINABLE WEST SEATTLE TRANSPORTATION FORUM TOMORROW NIGHT: How we get around both on and off the peninsula – and to/from – has long been a hot topic, and these past two weeks, since Metro debuted RapidRide C Line and made other changes, transit has been at the top of the discussion list. In case you have missed previous mentions, here’s another reminder that you are invited to hear directly from county and city reps – and to ask questions! – during this month’s Sustainable West Seattle Community Forum, 7 pm Monday at the Senior Center of West Seattle in The Junction. Here’s the latest version of the panel, from SWS’s website:
Seattle Council Transportation Chair Tom Rasmussen
King County Exec. Transportation Advisor Chris Arkills
Metro Director of Service Development Victor Obeso
Seattle Transit Blog Editor-in-Chief Martin Duke
Director of Seattle Department of Transportation Peter Hahn
See you there.
WEST SEATTLE ROTARY TALKS TRANSPORTATION: Here’s the announcement for Tuesday’s lunch meeting, just out of the WSB inbox:
Members of the Rotary club of West Seattle gather on Tuesdays for lunch at Salty’s on Alki for fellowship and to learn more about our community, and the world. This week (October 16) we are excited to have Mike Lindblom, Seattle Times transportation reporter. This is an “encore” presentation. Mike made a presentation to our club in August of 2011 on Seattle transportation projects and their impact on West Seattle. Mike is a West Seattle resident and has covered a wide variety of projects including the Tacoma Narrows Bridge and the Seattle Monorail Project. Please join us Tuesday 12:00-1:30 for lunch and an interesting speaker.
If you’ve been reading/participating in WSB coverage of the bus changes and/or reading the Times, you know Mike has been covering it closely, and bringing detailed information to discussions (plus Twitter coverage). You don’t have to be a Rotary member to attend.
From the WSB West Seattle Events Calendar:
SUNDAY BREAKFAST AT THE EAGLES’ HALL: You’re invited to breakfast at the West Seattle Eagles‘ HQ, next to the post office in The Junction, 9-11:30 am, details here.
WEST SEATTLE FARMERS’ MARKET: 10 am-2 pm, 44th and Alaska in The Junction. See the Ripe-n-Ready List here.
STITCH & SEW STUDIO OPEN HOUSE: Grand-opening weekend continues with day 2 of the open house, noon-3 pm, 5910 California SW. (Here’s our preview report from last weekend.)
FIGHT LIKE A GIRL! BREAST-CANCER BENEFIT: 12:30 pm, special event at Seattle Integrated Martial Arts. By donation, for the battle against breast cancer. Details here.
DELRIDGE CIDER PRESSING: 1-4 pm in the Delridge P-Patch, today! Full details on the North Delridge Neighborhood Council website.
GREYHOUND MEETUP: Got a greyhound? Join the meetup today at West Seattle Petco (41st/Alaska), 1-3 pm.
COMMUNITY ART SHOWCASE AT SOUTHWEST LIBRARY: Starts today! Library at 35th/Henderson is open 1-5 pm.
FAUNTLEROY FALL FESTIVAL: No matter what the weather does, festival organizers say it’s on! Just doublecheck the on-site posted schedule for times/locations of events when you get there, as some likely will be moved around. Festival hours are 2-6 pm; location, 9140 and 9131 California SW, at the church, Y, and schoolhouse (9100 block of California SW) – for general reference, here’s the most recent version of the event schedule (but again, changes are expected).
LIVE MUSIC AT C & P: Caryn K and Meg Miller are the locals performing this afternoon at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor), 5612 California SW.
‘TRIBUTE TIMES TWO – ANTHEMS OF ACTIVISM’: A double bill at The Admiral Theater starting at 4 pm with a Pete Seeger tribute by Peter McKee, followed by the 7 pm Steve Goodman tribute with Clay Eals, Tom Colwell, Bruce Hanson, and Mark Myers. Details on this Facebook event page – and in our preview from earlier this week. It’s music, history, stories, even humor – go to one or both shows!
SONGWRITERS’ SHOWCASE: 8 pm at Skylark Café and Club (3803 Delridge Way SW).
More on the calendar!
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
A North Delridge woman is recovering from being bitten in the face by a dog in her neighborhood near Cottage Grove Park that sent her to the hospital and left neighbors concerned about whether Seattle Animal Shelter investigators are doing enough about it.
We’ve been gathering information about this incident since hearing about it from a neighbor, who said the attack happened Monday night, and that the dog, which she described as a pit bull, was on a leash with its owner. She was upset that the SAS officer talked with the owner “and then left without taking the dog.”
We have spoken twice since then with SAS representatives, who tell us there is no rule that they immediately seize an animal that bites a person. The first officer with whom we spoke said usually those types of attacks result in a citation, but he did not know if a citation had been issued and said he would seek that information; we finally got an update Saturday from SAS enforcement supervisor Ann Graves, who said no citation had been issued but the investigation was continuing and she expected to receive the final report soon.
The victim, who does not want to be identified, talked with us by phone.
Next Saturday morning, family and friends will gather at The Kenney (WSB sponsor) to remember Bob Minckler. His family shares this remembrance:
Robert (Bob) Minckler passed away on September 25, 2012 at the age of 90. He was a lifelong resident of West Seattle, a 1940 graduate of West Seattle High School. While in high school, he fell in love with and later married the girl across the street – Audrey (Gessner) Minckler. Bob served his country as a Merchant Marine during WWII. After being honorably discharged from the military he went to work for Reliable Transfer & Storage Company where he worked until his retirement. Bob loved playing golf, spending time with his friends and family, and setting up shop to create works of art. After retirement Bob enjoyed spending winters in Hawaii and keeping an eye on the grandkids.
Bob was thankful to have had the good fortune of surrounding himself with wonderful friends with whom he and Audrey were able to join on their many travels. These past few years, Bob felt most passionate about undertaking a project to grant his fellow Merchant Marines full veteran status.
He is survived by Audrey, his wife of 70 years, daughter Barbara (Richard) Wagner, son Mark (Leslie) Minckler and daughter Betty Lee Minckler. Grandchildren: Amy Guilizen, Gaile (Jason) Brandenburg, Christopher Kintz, Michael & Lauren Minckler, Jacob & Max Zimmerman. Great grandchildren: Audrey & Liam Brandenburg.
A memorial service will be held on October 20, 2012 – 10:00 AM at The Kenney, 7125 Fauntleroy Way SW. Donations may be sent to The Kenney Foundation.
(WSB publishes obituaries by request, free of charge. Please e-mail the text, and a photo if available, to editor@westseattleblog.com)
(2010 Duwamish Alive! photo by Cliff DesPeaux for WSB)
Whether you paddle on the river, or walk into the watershed, there’s a multitude of ways you can help during the twice-yearly Duwamish Alive! cleanup next Saturday. All ages welcome! Choose a volunteer site here – or read on for details in the official announcement:
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By Megan Sheppard
On the WSBeat, for West Seattle Blog
As always, the WSBeat summaries are from reports on cases handled recently by Southwest Precinct officers, incidents that (usually) have not already appeared here in breaking-news coverage or West Seattle Crime Watch reports, but that might at least answer the question “what WERE all those police doing on my block?”:
*The phrase “art walk” took on a new meaning on Gatewood Hill early Monday, where officers responded to a report of a suspicious person in a backyard and found signs of a break-in and theft at a home that had been staged for sale.
A K-9 dog led an officer through the yard, through a hole in a fence, through a neighbor’s yard, back onto a sidewalk and finally to the side of a home further down the block. Lying on her side was a woman. Lying on her back deck were the two missing pieces of art. The 52-year-old was booked into King County Jail for investigation of burglary.
Three more incidents (including one that’s not for the squeamish) – ahead:Read More
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